Just A Little Time
by Tuxedo Will
Summary: Ranma Saotome's always had trouble with Nabiki but this time, it's a little slipperier.
1. Chapter 1 Once Upon a Time

**Just a Little Time**  
By Douglas Helm and _"Tuxedo"_ Will Wolfshohl  
Continuing a Ranma ½ story kernel by Dark Oni

Those characters that are original and the story "_Just a Little Time_" are copyrighted ©2003-2004 ShoujoFiction dot com domain by Douglas Helm and Will Wolfshohl. Original kernel copyrighted ©1998 by Dark Oni.

This story and dozens of our other stories reside at **ShoujoFiction dot com** . Comments are welcomed.

# # # # #

**Chapter 1 - Once Upon a Time...**

**T**he wind was cold; the night sky clear dotted with stars, and a full blue-white moon was ascending in the east. It shone down onto Tokyo Prefecture, its many districts, and wards. In one of these, the city of Nerima, sat a dojo that had seen many things. It was the Tendo Dojo, both home and training hall for the _School of Anything-Goes Martial Arts_. The buildings had been repaired countless times over the years. Light from the main living area spilled onto the yard but didn't quite reach the koi pond, which over the years had seen its own share of visitors.

Akane Saotome, daughter of Soun Tendo, wife, mother, and not least martial artist, was trying to read a newspaper with one eye. The other eye was carefully watching her youngest. The three year old was staring intently at the plate of sweets. The mother supposed she could move the plate out of sight but that would deprive the others.

The child's hand crept slowly forward, little eyes shifted to regard the aging matriarch of the family. Despite Akane's age, she was still strong, healthy, and vibrant. Her brunette hair, now grown long again, was streaked with grey. There were a few crow's feet about her eyes but little else marked her age.

The three year old made her move but Akane was faster, but of course, her husband was faster yet. While Akane tagged the child's hand, her husband lifted the plate up balancing it on his fingertip. She looked down the table where Ranma was leaning over, his form strong and defined.

"I'll put these up."

"Aw!" the youngest whined. She got up and scurried after her father.

Smiling a little, Akane regarded the other occupants of the room. Her father was studiously reading the newspaper. Her other daughters sat relaxing. How had she given birth to five daughters? At least Ranma hadn't complained about not having a son to carry on the Saotome name, at least within earshot. Genma had and gotten thumped for it. Soun hadn't complained because Kasumi had produced twin boys.

"What'll it be tonight?"

Akane blinked and peered at her oldest. "What?"

"It's Saturday, story night."

"Aren't ya liddle old for dat?" her middle daughter asked.

Before a fight could ensue, she said, "Well, whose turn is it to pick?"

"I believe," Soun piped in, his voice soft and anticipatory, "It's Ranma's."

"My what?" Ranma's voice questioned. The others looked up to see him entering the room with the three year old under one arm.

"Turn to pick a story, son," Soun replied.

"Why do we have to do this anyway?"

"Because you totaled the television and we can't afford to fix it," the eldest girl replied.

"Any ideas?" Ranma asked the group while handing the toddler to his wife and sitting down.

"What about one where Aunt Nabiki gets zapped!" Soun frowned but Ranma grinned slightly.

"Well... I suppose I could tell you that one."

"Not that one, Ranma!" Akane said with a sinking feeling.

"Why not?" Ranma asked his wife. Akane just sighed and shook her head. Settling himself, Ranma began his tale. "This story happens when your mom and I were still going to Furinkan High School..."

# # # # #

"**Ranma, you idiot!**" Akane yelled as she swung her briefcase at the teenage boy's legs. The sixteen year old martial artist easily dodged her swipe and continued walking down the fence-top.

"What're you so upset about?" he replied. "I'm the one who Ryouga was after."

"After you told him you'd never have anything to do with someone as uncute as ME!" she retorted angrily, taking several more swings.

Ranma dodged again, landing in a partial handstand with his legs extended atop a nearby brick wall. "Akane! That's not what I said!"

Akane paused for a moment and replied in a serious tone, "Did it ever occur to you that maybe I LIKE a little attention?"

Ranma froze in confusion. Before he could think of a response, the girl gently reached over with her index finger and poked him in the forehead. Immediately, Ranma lost his balance and fell off the wall into the water below.

"Gotcha!" Akane yelled, and then the teenage girl turned and walked towards her home.

As Ranma surfaced, he cursed himself for falling for the same trick again. He could immediately feel that his red shirt and black pants had gotten looser. As soon as he'd hit the cold water, he turned into a red-haired teenage beauty, thanks to the cursed Jusenkyo Spring he'd fallen into while training in China. While most of his body had shrunk, his chest had become as large as it always did in his female form and the top of his shirt was very tight over his new endowments. "**What'd you that for?**" Ranma yelled in a high voice at Akane's retreating back, but all he heard in response was the girl's loud giggling.

As Ranma swam for the canal's shore, she reflected on why she'd gotten into that fight with Ryouga. The young martial artist had challenged Ranma to a duel (again) because of some perceived slight against his fiancée. It didn't seem to matter to anyone involved that Ranma had never asked to become Akane's fiancé nor did he wish to marry the girl. Their fathers had simply arranged things and expected the two of them to accept it.

# # # # #

"You didn't wanna marry Mom?" their second youngest asked, sounding a little horrified.

"You thought she was '_uncute_'?"

"Well, your father had a serious case of foot-in-mouth disease back then but it seems to have cleared up nicely," Akane commented with a smirk.

Ranma opened his mouth, saw the challenge in his wife's eyes, and closed it again. After a moment, he continued, "Anyway..."

# # # # #

A very wet female Ranma vainly attempted to pat her clothes dry. Grumbling, she started off home. Just as Ranma vanished from sight, three teenage girls, wearing the same high school uniform as Akane, arrived at the same spot he and his fiancée had been bickering at. Stopping, the lead girl raised her hand without turning her head backwards and asked, "So, Yuriko, how much did we take in on the Ranma/Ryouga fight?"

The nervousness in the longhaired girl's voice could be clearly heard as she responded, "Well, actually, we just cleared about 5000 yen." Immediately, she added, "It would've been a lot more if they hadn't left the schoolyard."

Nabiki Tendo sighed loudly, and then commented, "I'll have to have a little talk with my dear little sister's fiancé."

"Y'know, the way we slant the odds, if Ranma ever lost, we'd be wiped clean," Yuriko remarked without thinking. Nabiki frowned. That was all it took before her friend was apologizing.

It wasn't that the middle Tendo daughter was a mean person. She just took making money very seriously. With the family dojo earning as little as it did, she was actually her family's primary source of income. That was a lot of pressure to place upon a seventeen year old high school junior. She made her money mainly by organizing bets on school fights and selling revealing pictures of her sister and the female Ranma to interested male students. Still, the art of getting other people to freely give you their money was pretty fun in and of itself. All in all, Nabiki enjoyed her life.

Before Nabiki could finish counting, a high voice called out, "Hey, Yuri! Wait up!" She looked to see a girl of about twelve, also in uniform, running up to the girls.

"Oh, what does that brat want?" she could hear Yuriko mutter under her breath. She then added, "Nanami, you should be home by now!"

The sixth grade girl looked up at her older sister and angrily said, "Mom told me to wait for you. You were supposed to walk home with me." Glaring at Nabiki and Maki, she added, "Not surprised to see you running off with your friends and forgetting about me."

Yuriko inwardly cringed. She had completely forgotten, but she wasn't about to admit that to her little sister. "I had more important things to do," she answered. "Besides, you've said you're old enough to walk home by yourself. I just gave you the chance to prove it."

Nanami glared at her sister. "Liar! You forgot. Wait'll Mom hears 'bout this. You and your friends think you're _sooo_ important, but you're not."

As Nanami stomped away, Yuriko yelled to her back. "Fine. Run home to Mommy, you little baby. See if I care?" Even though she was upset, Yuriko stopped her ranting the instant she noticed Nabiki was calmly staring at her.

"Are you finished?" Nabiki asked.

"Heh, uh, yeah. Sorry. Little sisters. You know."

"Actually, I don't. Akane's only a year younger than me and we get along quite well." Looking down at the money in her hand, Nabiki finished counting and returned her attention to her partners. "Well, ladies, I certainly hope our next take is better than this one. I'll see you two on Mon...day." Nabiki placed a hand to her head as a wave of dizziness took her. Her skin was tingling and she felt as if she were sinking into the sidewalk. Shaking her head, she managed to see her two friends, each with a strange blue glow surrounding their bodies. Nabiki could see that the uniforms each girl wore looked too large and were getting bigger. The features on the girl's faces were changing as well, becoming rounder and fresher. For an instant, Nabiki thought of how much Yuriko resembled her younger sister. That's when she realized that, however ludicrous it sounded, her friends looked like they were growing younger.

'I must be seeing things,' she reasoned. 'If they were getting younger, they'd be getting smaller too and we still look the same size.'

It took about half a second before an icy fear gripped Nabiki's heart as her mind solved that conundrum. She looked down at herself and saw that the top of her high school uniform hung loosely on her. She could feel her bra hanging as well just as her panties started to slip down her hips. The sidewalk was definitely much closer than she'd remembered. Gazing at her friends, she could see them staring incredulously back at her.

Yuriko's mouth moved but instead of her voice, out came a high squeak that seemed to form words, "Omigosh, Nabiki, what happened to y...?"

Yuriko's hands flew to her mouth as she noticed the offending tone. A muffled, "My voice!" could then be heard. Yuriko then turned to Maki and as each noticed the other's predicament, the two little girls screamed in an extremely high pitch.

Nabiki struggled desperately not to scream as well. In her stomach, it was like the worst fear she'd ever felt had suddenly been magnified ten times over. She couldn't comprehend what was happening to her and the helplessness she felt because of that was tremendous. A frantic Maki broke her spiral of despair.

"**Noooo! Get it off! Get it off!**" The girl looked to be about seven or eight now and her uniform dress had already started to pile on the ground. A stockinged foot stuck out from under the pile as she desperately kicked at something long and blue that was wrapped around her tiny ankle. Nabiki looked to her own skirt and saw another tentacle there as well. Nabiki, a child now just like her friends, likewise panicked. "**Ahhhhh! It's a monster. Run.**"

All three girls, now screaming in unison, ran for it. Luckily for them, the tentacles each slipped off of their now much smaller feet. Unluckily for them, their now huge dresses caused each of them to stumble and fall into one another after only a few steps.

"**Hey, get off me!**" Nabiki yelled as Maki's weight forced her down. The other girl was sprawled across her back while both of them were on top of Yuriko's legs.

"**Both of you get off! You're crushing me!**" Yuriko screamed back, real distress showing in her voice.

Untangling their bodies was made even more difficult by their now gigantic clothes. Nabiki could feel the ends of her once short sleeves now brushing against her wrists as her shoulders peeked out of the collar of her dress. Even after she managed to roll over and sit on the cement, the hem of her uniform dress still came well below her feet. She felt miserable and helpless and her eyes started to water. She noticed the well-squished Yuriko already had tears coming down her cheeks. The unscathed Maki, however, almost sounded happy. "Hey, I think it's gone."

Sure enough, the sidewalk was now completely clear except for a nearby sewer drain. A sobbing Yuriko broke the silence. "Wh-what was that thing? What happened to us?"

Sniffling herself, Nabiki answered, "I don't know, but at least it's stopped." Even though she was expecting it, her high, childish voice still took her by surprise.

As if on cue, the blue glow returned to each of them and Nabiki was suddenly afraid again. There were no tentacles in sight and yet it was happening again. Before her fear could cause her to panic, she noticed that the aura didn't surround her friends' heads, just their clothes. She could see the uniforms on her friends' bodies starting to shrink and change as well. She could feel her own clothes shrinking around her. Her sleeves rose back up her arms as the hem of her dress revealed first her feet and then her knees. Her collar crept back up her neck as her entire uniform tightened around her body. When it stopped, Nabiki could see her friends were now dressed in uniforms meant for kindergarten students complete with yellow hats; she figured she was probably wearing the same.

Nabiki and Maki stared in silence at each other marveling at what had just happened. Yuriko, who was still crying, didn't have the emotional control for that. "**What the hell is going on here?**" she yelled.

A new voice entered the conversation, "That's what I'd like to know, Yuri. And where did you pick up language like that?"

The heads of the three little girls snapped up in unison to take in the form of Nanami looming over them. A minute before, the twelve year old had been at least a head shorter than each of them; now she was simply huge. Nabiki could hear Yuriko softly whimpering. She suspected the girl wasn't taking the image of her gigantic '_little_' sister very well. Maki, on the other hand, allowed a torrent of words to rapidly escape from her high-pitched vocal cords.

"Oh Nanami, thank goodness you're here. We were just standing there when we started getting younger. Then we noticed these tentacle things grabbing our ankles and so we ran but our dresses were too big so we fell over each other but then our dresses shrank to match us and then you came along but the monster could still be here so I'm scared. Please help us."

Nabiki was shocked at Maki's outburst. The girl was normally so quiet and what she'd just said sounded so totally ridiculous. But it had happened and they were the proof.

Nabiki's confidence was dashed, however, as she realized something was wrong. Instead of being shocked, Nanami had a smile on her face and a pleasant one at that. For an instant, the suspicious side of Nabiki feared the girl was the cause of all this but that thought was quickly eliminated.

In a somewhat excited and higher than normal voice meant for small children, Nanami said, "Oh, really? A monster, huh? Well, don't worry about that mean old monster. Even if it turned you into a baby, you're back to normal now, sweetie." Patting Maki on the top of her head, Nanami laughed and added, "Y'know, that's what I like about you, Maki. You come up with the cutest stories."

The trio simply stared dumbfounded at the now gigantic twelve year old. 'Back to normal?' Nabiki thought. This was just too weird.

Nanami broke the silence, "Even so, that doesn't give you three an excuse to play on the filthy ground in your uniforms and kick your shoes off." Sure enough, Nabiki could see three pairs of black children's buckle shoes lying on the sidewalk where three teenagers had been two minutes before.

"Mom's going to have a fit when she sees your dress, Yuri. And why did you three leave without me? You know you're too young to walk home by yourselves." Sighing, Nanami continued, "Oh well, get up. We have to get going."

Slowly and cautiously, Nabiki and the others rose to their feet. She noticed her balance was different and it took her a few seconds of wobbling to get used to it. Meanwhile, Nanami had returned with the shoes in her hands. Nabiki noticed that even standing, she and her friends were staring into Nanami's tummy. "Here you go, Maki." Bending over, Nanami grabbed Maki's ankle and lifted it, placing the shoe on her little stocking foot and strapping it into place. As Nanami placed the second shoe on the stunned girl's foot, she noticed the bills that had fallen under the girls in their frantic escape.

"Hey!" Nanami exclaimed, as she picked them up, "Where'd this money come from? There must be what..." She whistled. "5000 yen here. Cool. Now I can buy that new video game Mom won't get me."

Even shrunken as she was, Nabiki wasn't about to let someone else steal her hard-earned money without a fight. "Hey! That's our money!" she squeaked. Nanami simply laughed. "Yeah right. How would three five year olds get this much money? What'd you do, sell your panties to some businessmen? I don't think so. No, whoever's money this was, it's mine now."

Nabiki, for what it was worth, decided she had to at least try to set things straight and she took a deep breath and spoke, "Nanami, please listen. We're telling the truth. A monster really did attack us and we really did get younger. We're really seventeen and that's our money. You've just been fooled by the monster." Nabiki was surprised how hard it had been to keep her concentration as she spoke. It was as though even those simple words had been a struggle for her.

In response, Nanami smiled and grabbed Nabiki's right ankle in her strong grip, supporting the little girl's weight with her one arm. She then started to place a shoe on Nabiki's foot.

Nabiki suddenly felt very embarrassed. Not only had her friend's little sister ignored her, she was dressing her and Nabiki's little body had no chance of resisting.

Losing a little control, Nabiki cried out, "Hey! I can put on my own shoes!"

Nanami stopped. The shoe on Nabiki's foot hung completely unstrapped.

Mockingly, she said, "Oh yeah, that's right. You're seventeen, aren't you? Well, by all means, go ahead."

Nabiki looked back at the bigger girl with a glare. 'I'll show her!' she thought, bending over to strap her shoes. The first thing she noticed was how much shorter and stubbier her fingers had become. She also realized she hadn't buckled shoes like these in nearly ten years.

It was difficult to handle the leather strap on her black shoe and she found it nearly impossible to get the strap through the buckle. After a few unsuccessful attempts, she finally managed to pull the strap into the buckle. She pulled the strap tight and with a little effort was able to get the metal pin through the last hole. Carefully holding the pin in place, she then pushed the tip of the strap into the opposite end of the buckle and pulled the strap tight. Looking up triumphantly, Nabiki proudly announced, "There! Now do you believe me?"

Nanami clapped and said happily, "Very good, Nabiki! You're almost as fast as Yuri now."

Nabiki's heart sank and she mentally scolded herself. Why had she thought that would prove anything? Of course, she could strap her own shoes. That's why she had straps instead of laces. With a chill, Nabiki realized that she couldn't remember how to tie laces anymore. She desperately tried to think of something else. An equation, a quote, anything that would prove she was really seventeen. But to her horror, she couldn't. All that came to her mind in that instant was a song about her ABC's. As Nabiki stared straight ahead in frustration, Nanami lifted her other foot and swiftly strapped her other shoe onto it.

Yuriko whimpered as Nanami put her shoes on her and seemed even more uncomfortable than Nabiki had been. When she finished, Nanami playfully messed up her new little sister's hair and said, "C'mon, squirt, let's get going." She then paused. "Oh, I almost forgot."

Reaching down, Nanami gently lifted up the back of Yuriko's uniform dress and then loudly smacked her sister's pantied bottom three times. By the third strike, Yuriko's face had gone from looking shocked to scrunched up to crying. Dropping Yuriko's dress, Nanami declared, "That's for disobeying Mom and leaving the schoolgrounds without me. C'mon girls."

As Nanami took Yuriko's hand and dragged her off, Nabiki could hear her friend's cries getting louder. From her facial features, Nabiki could tell her Yuriko was struggling for control and was failing. After exchanging a frightened glance with Maki, the two girls hurried after Nanami, not wanting to test their own limits of control.

Somewhere near. Under the street. Something rested and absorbed what it had stolen. Soon it would be ready, but not yet.

# # # # #

As Nabiki walked beside Maki in silence, she tried to puzzle things out. The problem was that she kept being distracted. Things would catch her attention and her usually sharp mind would latch onto it. The pet shop had been the worst.

'I stood there just drooling!' Nabiki thought disgustedly, 'Then Nanami scolds me and drags me away!' It had been very embarrassing even if the puppies were cute. Nabiki wanted to very angry at the big bully but she just couldn't seem to scrounge that emotion up.

Another major distraction was what was going to happen to her when she got home. Hopefully, things would be normal there and she could convince Ranma and Akane to help her out. If they weren't normal, then Nanami was sure to tattle on her. An image of her mother popped into her mind and she couldn't help but smile.

'Mommy's gone,' Nabiki thought and then frowned, 'But if things have changed...' That was a disturbing thought. She shook her head and chewed on her lower lip. If her mother wasn't home, or if Nanami was nice enough not to rat on her, then she would be safe. Soun had rarely dealt with either Kasumi or herself when it came to misbehavior. He dealt with Akane. Her little sister had a stubborn streak from the word go. Akane would take a scolding from her father to heart more than from her mother. Of course, Akane would listen to Kasumi, but then, even Nabiki did that.

The now little girl was pulled from her thoughts when Maki nudged her. "What?"

"We're at my house," Maki observed.

"Oh..."

The group didn't loiter long at Maki's house. Only long enough for Nanami to say that they'd been playing in the mud at school, no mention of leaving the grounds. As they left, Nabiki thought she could hear Maki's mother scolding her.

Yuriko managed to get away from her sister to walk beside Nabiki. "She's scary," she hissed.

"Yuri..."

"What happened?" Yuriko demanded.

"How the heck should I know?"

"Did you see Ranma around?" was the next question after a minute or two of silence. Nabiki looked at her diminutive friend. "Just anytime somethin' funny happens, he's always mixed up in it."

'She has a point,' Nabiki agreed but didn't say anything. That's when it happened - she saw a cat coming out of a cross street. "Kitty!" she shouted and before she could even consider what she was doing, Nabiki Tendo raced down the street in hot pursuit of the alley cat who had taken to flight.

# # # # #

"Ranma!" Nabiki shouted as the door to the Tendo home was opened. A wave of relief and happiness swept over her.

"Hey squirt," Ranma replied and bent down to give her face a critical look. "What the heck happened to you?"

"She was playing in the mud," Nanami supplied frostily. "Then she decided to chase after a cat."

Ranma flinched at the word "_cat_", glanced at Nanami, and then Nabiki. "You know Akane's gonna blow a gasket."

"Akane?" Nabiki asked.

"Don't worry, Nabiki. I'll talk to her for you and..."

'Ranma's acting like I'm normal.' "**Ranma, I'm seventeen!**"

The martial artist blinked. "Hey, I didn't even know you could count that high." Nabiki made an impudent noise. Meanwhile, Nanami decided to make a quiet withdrawal. She had her own little sister to torture.

"Stop jokin' or I'll make you pay!" Nabiki warned shaking her little fist. He straightened up and chuckled. A hand reached out gently to rumple her hair. "Ranma!" she shouted in frustration. She lifted up her small foot drove it as hard as she could into his lower shin.

"Hey now!" Ranma squawked sharply. He reached down, got her under the arms, and lifted her up until he was looking directly into her eyes. "You apologize."

"Sorry," Nabiki said and knew that she meant it. She was happy when the boy smiled and adjusted so that he had an arm under her rump. It was a long way up Nabiki noticed so she instinctively put her hands on Ranma's shoulders for support.

It was at this point that Akane appeared. "**Nabiki Tendo!**" Akane shouted, "**What happened to your school uniform?**"

"She was just having a little fun, Akane," Ranma answered for her, "Ain't that right, Nabi-cakes."

The child winced at the cutesy sounding nickname. "Guess so."

"Honestly!" Akane huffed. "Well, Ranma, go give her a bath and put that dirty uniform in the wash."

"**Ranma give ME a bath?**" Nabiki squeaked, "Why not you?"

"Because I have to cook dinner," her once little sister replied.

"YOU?" Today was getting worse and worse.

"Well, Kasumi's at work," Akane explained sounding annoyed, "Who else is gonna do it?"

She was about to answer, "_Anyone else,_" but thought better of it. "Come on," Ranma prodded, "We'll go get you some clean clothes to wear after your bath."

"'Kay," Nabiki agreed, trying desperately to come up with a plan.

End of Chapter 1

Coming next in **Chapter 2 - Nabiki's Walk through Wonderland **

"Shoujo Fiction™ and the Shoujo Fiction™ logo are a Trademark of Douglas Helm and Will Wolfshohl. Copyrighted ©2002-2003, All Rights Reserved.


	2. Chapter 2 Nabiki's Walk through Wonderl...

**Just a Little Time**  
By Douglas Helm and _"Tuxedo"_ Will Wolfshohl  
Continuing a Ranma ½ story kernel by Dark Oni

Those characters that are original and the story "_Just a Little Time_" are copyrighted ©2003-2004 ShoujoFiction dot com domain by Douglas Helm and Will Wolfshohl. Original kernel copyrighted ©1998 by Dark Oni.

This story and dozens of our other stories reside at **ShoujoFiction dot com** . Comments are welcomed.

**Chapter 2 - Nabiki's Walk through Wonderland**

**F**ive year old Nabiki Tendo lay in bed and stared up at the ceiling. She was doing this on purpose. That way, she wouldn't have to look at the shadows of her changed room. The room was not completely dark though. A new feature, a nightlight, burned dimly in a wall socket near the door causing Nabiki a great amount of irritation.

Yet another confirmation of her change in status was that her regular nightgown had been exchanged for a set of bunny-footed pajamas. Not that her wardrobe as she knew it existed anymore. It along with the rest the trappings of her former age had disappeared. Still, this was something Nabiki detested. Normally, no one could accuse her of being into "_cute_" although her sister Akane had always held the title of tomboy of the Tendo family. Now, she was definitely cute. How could anyone take her seriously? At least her "_play clothes_" didn't look too bad. She'd been put in a pair of jean overalls and a green T-shirt after her bath.

Her bath earlier that night also had not been as bad as she had feared. Then too, Ranma did not watch her as he was initially requested. Due to her complaints, Soun assumed the job instead. It was still embarrassing to have her father monitor her in the furo but she understood the reasons. The furo seemed much bigger and she'd slipped just a bit once or twice while climbing in and out of it. Her father had lifted her out of it after her stumble and wrapped her in a huge towel. The former teen briefly wondered if Akane or Kasumi would take baths with her as they had done when they all were little.

'Nearly blew my cover with supper though,' Nabiki remembered then rolled over and sighed. A stuffed panda lay beside her. Despite her deep desire to throw the thing across the room, she just could not bring herself to do so. This brought her to a major revelation. 'Akane can cook... not up to Kasumi's standards but she can cook!'

# # # # #

"Hey! Mommy cooks good stuff!" Ranma's second youngest interrupted.

"Yes, honey, your mother makes very good 'stuff'."

"Not back then," Mrs. Akane Saotome confirmed, "I was hopeless. I tasted some of it." The aged martial artist made a sour face. How Ranma had managed to survive some of her earlier forays into cooking, she didn't know. She realized he must have loved her very much back then even to try it.

"True but you learned and now you're quite the chef, Akane-honey," Ranma complimented. "Now..."

# # # # #

Nabiki let her eyes slide shut, not wishing to fight the sleepiness that threatened to overcome her. She hated the thought of being sent to bed so early. Nevertheless, that didn't even come close to the mortification she felt when Ranma came in a few minutes later to read her a bedtime story.

'I didn't even know the dumb jock could read,' the middle Tendo daughter mused. 'Wonder what's happening with Yuri and Maki?' She had wanted to check in with her two regressed friends but Kasumi had firmly told her that she could not phone them so late. Whatever it was, she could tell her "_little friends_" tomorrow at school. A scathing comment at that point got her sent to a corner for a short time. Akane wanted to send her immediately to bed but Kasumi talked the teen out of it.

Not everything had changed though. Nabiki had always been an observant person and noted that Akane and Ranma still fought about silly things that they really shouldn't have fought about. In a way, this was reassuring. Genma seemed to be acting normally as well as her father who was as doting as ever. It was disconcerting to the former teen to think that she was attached to Ranma in some emotional way. 'You'd think I look up to him like my big brother or something,' Nabiki thought sourly. All the signs supported that conjecture though. A final yawn cut off any further thoughts. She squirmed a bit, gave a gusty sigh, and slipped into slumber well before her normal bedtime.

That morning, Nabiki slowly woke up. Everything was fuzzy. She had the sense that someone had called her name. She frowned slightly without opening her eyes. Maybe the whole ordeal had been a dream. She sure wasn't going to tell anyone about it. "Nabiki," the voice came again.

The ex-middle Tendo daughter shifted slightly and then froze. She was snuggled up against something warm and firm. "Come on, Nabiki." This time the little girl identified the voice - it was Kasumi. She cracked open an eyelid and stared sleepily up at her huge big sister. "Let's get you up. You don't want to wake Ranma."

Nabiki stiffened. 'Darn it! It wasn't a dream!' She pondered how best to handle this situation. Ranma would be cranky but given how he'd likely react, and her small frame, she might get seriously hurt. Not to mention that if Akane found her like this, she was dead. Ranma might have qualms about hitting girls but Akane didn't. She decided not to move.

Observing no signs of movement, Kasumi gently lifted the five year old up and gave her a strong hug. Nabiki hugged the young woman back as they left Ranma's room. Looking back as she was carried, she could see Ranma and Genma in his panda form sleeping undisturbed. "Nabiki," Kasumi declared in a mildly chiding tone, "You should really try to stay in your own bed." When Nabiki didn't protest this, Kasumi smiled, patted her thigh, and put her down. "Why don't you use the potty and then we'll get you dressed."

"'Kay!" Nabiki chirped. Her body was demanding the facilities.

# # # # #

Nabiki was sent to "_play_" quietly before breakfast. The young girl didn't care for that idea but couldn't do anything about it. What she wanted to do was call her friends but she never got the chance.

She was dressed in a kindergarten uniform with a nametag なびき (Kanji characters) sewn to the blouse pocket. It had taken her a few moments to figure out that it said "_Nabiki_" but she was glad she could read it. Now that she thought about it, the others had similar nametags on their uniforms the day before.

Breakfast that morning was good although Nabiki was still feeling somewhat groggy. She had never been a morning person and at that moment, she really didn't have the desire to maintain her usual rigorous schedule.

'Then again,' Nabiki thought, 'I don't want to go to ELEMENTARY school.' Instead of finishing up her breakfast, she dawdled over it until Akane snapped at her. 'Boy, she's really getting an attitude.'

"Come on, Akane, leave the kid alone," Ranma mumbled around mouthfuls of food, "You'd be cranky too if you got pulled out of a nice warm bed." The young martial artist shot his father a dirty look.

"Well, I was rousted by you two yelling!" Akane hissed to the pigtailed teen. It was a good thing Nabiki went to school earlier than either Ranma or she did or they'd have to find somebody else to take her. She turned to her little sister and said, "Ranma needs to get you to school soon... So finish your breakfast NOW, young lady!"

'OKAY!' Nabiki thought with a flare of anger, 'That's it!' Her sister could take that sort of tone with Ranma but it wasn't going to fly with her. Twisting her hand, she chucked the remainder of her bowl of rice at Akane.

"**NA-BI-KI?**" Ranma asked in surprise.

"Oh my," Kasumi sighed.

Akane nodded, got up from her place, and walked around to where Nabiki was sitting and lifted the little girl up into a standing position. "Hey!" Nabiki squawked but her "_big_" sister didn't pay any attention. Instead, Akane lifted the back of Nabiki's school uniform skirt and delivered two firm swats to the small bottom. After a moment of pure shock, Nabiki started to cry.

"Now, Nabiki," Akane demanded, "You are going to clean up that rice." Nabiki's response was to plop down onto the floor and cry. She missed the exasperated look that Akane sent Ranma. The gender-changing martial artist got up, a frown on his face, and moved to stand beside Nabiki.

"Nabiki," Ranma said in a stern tone. The crying almost instantly abated into sniffles. The child looked a long way up at Ranma with a concerned look. "You stand up right this instant, young lady! That is no way for a future martial artist to behave." Instincts, if nothing else, seemed to be working in Nabiki's favor and she got to her feet. "Now," Ranma continued in a softer yet still stern tone of voice, "We are going to get you washed up and then you are going to school."

"'Kay," little Nabiki squeaked out.

# # # # #

Ranma and Nabiki were walking a short distance from the Tendo Dojo when Ranma stopped and gave Nabiki a small frown. The youngster looked up at him in puzzlement. "That was very naughty of you, Nabiki," Ranma scolded. He squatted down to regard her. "No dessert tonight."

The child fought to stop herself from crying. Why should she care what he thought? Yet for some reason, she did. "Okay." Ranma smiled, a much-needed gesture in Nabiki's mind, and stood up again.

'Well...' Nabiki mused, 'At least, I don't have to walk to school with Akane.' She loved her sister but the youngest Tendo wasn't in a very good mood and said sister had a reputation for violence.

"You leave teasing Akane up to me, Nabsy-cakes," Ranma commented and gave her a large grin.

"But it's _sooo_ fun!" Nabiki remarked and grinned back. 'And this solves the problem of finding the girls. Ranma will pick them up and take us to school. 'Who'da thunk the dumb jock could be so responsible?'

The young martial artist's behavior did puzzle her somewhat though. After all, he rarely had any interest outside of martial arts, food, and sleep. He and his father had mostly been leeches on their family and worse, their finances. This new Ranma still fought with Akane but seemed to be taking on more responsibilities.

The pair's first stop was Maki's house. Her friend bounded out and hugged Nabiki happily. She had to admit looked cute in her uniform complete with yellow cap and nametag.

"Nabiki! You won't believe..."

"Shhh..." Nabiki motioned and watched Ranma carefully. She took a moment to read Maki's own nametag, "まき (Kanji characters) _Ma-ki_."

"What?"

"That's what it says, Maki."

"I know that!" Maki huffed, looking at Nabiki as if her now diminutive friend had lost her mind. After the trio had started walking again, Maki complained, "It was awful!"

"What?"

"Bedtime and my bath! And..." The little girl trailed off and shook her head violently. "It was just bad."

"Could be worse," Nabiki commented softly.

"Huh?" her friend asked.

"You could be wearing a diaper."

"Urk!"

Despite her best intentions, Nabiki found that she didn't have an interest in talking about their situation, at least in any way that would get things resolved and back to normal. Things kept distracting them. Yuriko's house came into view. Nabiki suspected her other friend was looking outside waiting for them because the little girl literally burst from the house. Then she rushed down the sidewalk and took refuge behind her two friends.

"**Yuriko!**" Nanami shouted with exasperation, "**You forgot your lunch!**"

"Give it here. I'll take it," Ranma volunteered.

"You're way too nice to them, Ranma," Nanami snipped with annoyance as she handed the lunch box to him. The twelve year old did envy her little sister a bit having such a hunk walk her to school.

"Well, you were like that once, ya know." Nanami scowled then walked back to her house. Nabiki noticed that Yuriko was looking hopeful. Ranma was most likely an ally and that was a good thing.

"ゆりこ(Kanji characters) _Yu-ri-ko!_" Nabiki said, again sounding out the individual Hiragana characters on the nametag. She felt relief and proud that she could still read. Yuriko gave her a puzzled look. "That's what it says!" Nabiki beamed pointing at her friend's nametag.

"Oh..." the little girl replied a bit embarrassed, "I wasn't sure. Knew it said _'riko_ though."

"Come on," Ranma interrupted, "We don't wanna be late."

"So?" Maki prompted Yuriko as they walked.

"Bad..." Yuriko replied with a nervous look making sure Ranma didn't overhear her. "Really, REALLY, bad."

"Oh come on," Nabiki said dismissively.

"Mommy freaked out 'bout my dirty uniform," Yuriko stated grimly.

"You girls'll just havta be more careful next time is all." This shocked all three girls. Each one hoped that they didn't look guilty; they certainly felt it.

The rest of the trip to school was uneventful, except for the minor detail that Nabiki yet again took off after a stray cat. She got about fifty feet before Ranma's voice stopped her short. His scolding was rather stern but she got to ride atop his shoulders. 'Now this is THE way to travel!' Nabiki thought and allowed herself to giggle in delight.

# # # # #

Nabiki's plans to compare notes with the others after Ranma left were quickly dashed. Their teacher came out and herded all three of them into the same classroom a few moments after they arrived. They prepared to be bored stiff with kindergarten work but that was not to be the case. Despite being juniors in high school the previous day, they were finding the curriculum oddly challenging. Nabiki wasn't having as much trouble as Maki or Yuriko but she did make a few mistakes.

'I wish they wouldn't stare!' Nabiki huffed to herself, 'So I screwed up!' Coloring inside the lines was harder than it looked. Maki and Yuriko were looking at her as if she'd lost her mind. The other kids didn't seem to find it so unusual. 'At least I'm not bored.'

Their first chance to talk was at recess. Nabiki hustled them into a corner of the schoolyard taking a few toys with them as cover. Nabiki usually held her cards close to her chest but she was experiencing some feelings of anxiety and needed an outlet. "I ticked Akane off good."

"How?" Maki asked then followed up, "And ain't that a little dangerous?"

"Oh yeah," Nabiki replied, "I found it out the hard way." She proceeded to tell them what had transpired since she had left them the day before. "I was gonna call you guys but Kasumi wouldn't let me."

Yuriko said softly, "Guess I don't feel so bad now."

"Huh?" Nabiki and Maki questioned.

"Well, you know when I said Mom-my freaked out?"

"Oh..." Maki said knowingly.

"What?" Nabiki prodded. She wasn't getting it. Thankfully, Maki saved her friend from the embarrassment of having to explain by whispering in Nabiki's ear. "Urk!"

"So what now?" Yuriko wondered.

"Well," the former middle-Tendo daughter offered after some thought, "We're the only ones that know anything's changed. I say we inves... check out where we gots changed."

"**What?**" Maki exclaimed. Her friends hushed her and looked around nervously. "Are you nuts?"

"Who else is gonna do it?" The other two shrugged. "So we'll do it at lunchtime. They should let us out to play. We'll sneak out and have a look around. We'll make it there quick 'n' be back 'fore anybody misses us."

"I don't know," Yuriko interjected

"If I havta, I'll go by myself," Nabiki stated confidently, although she wasn't feeling it.

"No," Maki declared, "Either we all go or nobody goes."

"Oh yeah?" Nabiki asked. She wasn't used to having Maki standing up to her.

"Yeah," Maki said firmly. Before further discussion could take place, a couple of girls wandered over. Soon after that, recess ended and it was back to lessons.

# # # # #

Yuriko looked nervously about while chewing on the tip of her thumb. It was all she could do to stop from putting it fully into her mouth. "Would you quit bein' such a baby, Yuri?" Maki demanded. She was irritated that they were out here searching for clues but finding absolutely nothing.

"Can't we go?" the little girl asked her friend around her thumb.

"Lunch is almost over. Guys, I don't wanna get inta trouble," Maki complained.

Nabiki sighed, kicked a pebble in disgust, and turned to regard her two friends. "Yeah, there's nothing here."

"Can we go?" Yuriko pleaded, "This place gives me the creeps."

"Oh please!" Maki scoffed.

"Yuriko's right, Maki," Nabiki countered. 'And the last thing I need is for us to be spotted out here.' They were already pressing their luck. "Let's get back to school."

Unbeknownst to the three youngsters, they had already been spotted although it would be some time before the news would come back to haunt them. It would take Ryouga Hibiki several days to find the Tendo Dojo so he could report it to Akane.

The three kindergarteners made it back to school with only a minute to spare. Their teacher didn't even ask them where they had been, which was fortunate. Nabiki doubted she could have lied well enough to avoid trouble.

The afternoon passed quickly and all three girls became engrossed in the lessons that they were having. Nabiki had to admit the math lesson was fun. It was a refreshing change, at least that's how she saw it.

When Yuriko's "_big_" sister arrived as expected to walk them home after school, Nabiki promised herself that she was not going to lose her temper with Akane again. She didn't want to provoke her sixteen year old sister. She also hated to admit it but Ranma was right - what she had done wasn't very nice.

# # # # #

Ranma Saotome ran along the top of the fence. 'Oh man, I'm gonna be late!' Akane was going to be miffed at him and Nabiki too. 'I promised her yesterday that she could workout with me.' It likely wouldn't happen now and Nabiki would be mad at him. A promise was a promise and Ranma tried to keep promises.

"Ah Fluffy!"

"Fluffy?" Ranma questioned as he stopped dead and turned to look around.

"Look out, mister!" came the call of a girl. Quickly locating her voice, he saw a girl about nine years old. Ranma also saw the sleek, grey-furred form of a cat racing towards him.

"**C-C-CAT!**" he shouted and leapt away in an attempt to get away from the scary creature. As the sixteen year old fell towards the water of the canal, the cat raced down the street with the little girl in hot pursuit.

"Stupid cat!" Ranma now in girl form shouted when she surfaced. Swimming towards the shore, she climbed out, gracefully leapt over the fence, and started wringing out the bottom of her sopping wet shirt now tightly stretched over her substantial female endowments. 'So... how do I apologize to Akane? Why do I have to apologize to Akane?' When nothing came to mind, she shrugged. If she had set her mind to apologize to Akane, she would.

As the female Ranma continued to mull things over, she didn't notice the almost clear tentacle reaching out for her. The light blue appendage gently wrapped itself around Ranma's ankle without eliciting a response. Suddenly, Ranma felt very strange. Her body was tingling and she had a falling sensation in her stomach. She closed her eyes and placed a hand on her forehead, rubbing it. "What's going on here?" she whispered to herself but immediately, she noticed something was wrong. The ever-squeaky tone of her female voice seemed to have somehow become... higher? She felt something else as well. Her shirt no longer felt so tight. Opening her eyes and shirt, Ranma confirmed her suspicions. Her breasts had gotten smaller and were continuing to shrink. Also, the ground seemed even closer than it normally did in her girl form. Ranma's mind raced with the possibilities. Had she fallen into another cursed spring? Had one of her enemies cast a spell on her? As she contemplated what might have happened, her breasts flattened completely against her chest, their former positions marked only by two small bumps. Her shirt now hung loosely on her. Her pants and boxers fell from her shrinking hips piling on the ground. She could see that her suddenly revealed legs were no longer firm, full, or sexy. They were skinny, like a child's, and they were getting even smaller.

Ranma started to feel angry. It was bad enough being stuck in a girl's body but it was even worse to be made out to be a little kid! She'd show whoever did this to him. Then he realized where his pants were.

"Eek!" the redhead exclaimed and bent down to gather up the fallen clothing. It was one thing to show one's chest. It was quite another to have one's lower portions exposed to the world. When faced with a situation you can't immediately beat up, it was time to deploy the "_Final Attack_" of the _Saotome School of Anything-Goes Martial Arts_, i.e. run away. She'd find some hot water, figure out what the heck was going on, and then "_he'd_" make them (whoever them was) pay dearly!

The little redhead felt something snap off her ankle as she jumped back up to the top of the fence she'd fallen from earlier. It took some effort, which was quite atypical for such an elementary jump to a martial artist. Ranma started to crouch but checked it as she felt her balance slipping. She didn't see anything. 'Darn it!' Here she was stuck in a kid's body and she had the feeling that she was late for something. 'Why is my life so complicated?' Ranma wondered as she started to move down the fence-top. By way of answering, it started to rain.

# # # # #

Bubbles rose up in an angry stream from the depths of the canal while a sore tentacle retracted under the fence and into the water. The creature was still hungry. It needed energy. 'And when I have that energy, I will devour every living... No, that was last time I was awake. It's also not very cute,' the entity thought for a moment, 'Oh! I know. I'm so hungry, I can't even remember what I was going to do the next time I woke up!' It was not going to show mercy to its next target.

# # # # #

Ranma soon discovered that running down the fence was nearly impossible and even walking on it was a chore. After the third time she nearly fell off, the pigtailed girl gave up. She trudged home along the street. During the ordeal, an elbow got scraped as well as a patch of skin on her palm, both which stung. The little girl sniffled as she walked then shook her head.

'I better not be crying!' She was thankful that no one had seen her. 'What kind of martial arts is this? Martial Arts Body Swapping?' Eventually, he arrived home at the Tendo Dojo. Picking up his pace, the young martial artist ran forward and opened the door. "I'm home!" Her squeaky voice made her wince.

"You're late! You stay right there, Ranma!" came the shout of Akane.

'Oh man! She seems mad!' A huge Akane soon appeared in the hallway carrying a teakettle and a towel. "Sorry, Akane, but look what happened to me. I was on my way home and a c-c-ca-thing came racing by. I fell into the canal."

"And I keep telling you not to run on the fence near the water." Akane cooed, "Are you ready to change back, honey?"

'Honey?' "If I can change back," Ranma grumbled unhappily, "Ain't like this is normal or nothing." He didn't see the puzzled look Akane gave him as she lifted the kettle up to pour the hot water over the little redhead.

"Well, you'll be happy to know that Nabiki apologized to me."

"Gaah!" Ranma exclaimed as she got water in her mouth. The water was just hot enough to trigger the transformation. Much to his great relief, he felt his muscles bulking out. He felt his legs and arms growing. His chest broadened but remained flat. Akane didn't look so intimidating; in fact, Ranma quickly passed her in height. "Hey! I'm back to normal!" He completely filled out the clothes he had been holding on to for dear life only a moment ago.

"Well, of course you are, Ranma," Akane confirmed. "Now I have GOT to start dinner. I've put Nabiki in the dojo. She's waiting for you."

"You're cooking?" Ranma asked. He had a sinking feeling. He was sure the gods had it in for him today.

"Yeah... Kasumi won't be home until later. Now get to the dojo. Nabiki's waiting for you." Ranma's form slumped.

'My life is hell.' Akane cooking and Nabiki waiting for him. Why couldn't he just become a great martial artist, open up his own dojo, and have a pack of kids? The martial artist blinked. "Where the heck did that last part come from?" Shaking his head, Ranma made his way toward the dojo. He noted with interest that his father and Mr. Tendo weren't quivering in fear at the prospect of eating Akane's cooking. 'Poor bastards likely don't know she's cooking.'

As he walked, he checked his wallet. He only had about 2000 yen. The teen hoped it was enough to satisfy Nabiki's latest blackmail scheme or whatever it was she wanted to see him about. Maybe she had taken a photograph of him as a little girl. It would not bode well to have that be shown around town. He'd never live it down.

When Ranma got to the entrance of the dojo, he paused in bewilderment. Nabiki was nowhere to be seen. Instead, there was a girl perhaps five or six years old standing inside wearing a standard gi. Her pageboy haircut was familiar but he didn't recognize her from the back. "Hey..." he started but didn't get any further because the little girl quickly turned.

"I've been waitin' FOREVER!" little Nabiki Tendo whined. She gave Ranma an annoyed look.

The pigtailed martial artist just stood there and blinked. The face of the child was definitely that of Nabiki or rather, Nabiki's younger twin. Even the voice was similar. 'Where'd they find a kid that looks like Nabiki?' He paused giving the child a weak smile. 'What are Nabiki and Akane up to?' They'd obviously told this kid who he was. But why? He looked around the dojo again and didn't see the seventeen year old Tendo sister anywhere or anyone else for that matter.

When Ranma didn't make any sort of reply, Nabiki asked softly, "You ain't mad at me, are ya Ranma?" When again he didn't respond, she decided to pull out all the stops. Her new cute little body had to be good for something. Running over, she flung her small arms around Ranma's legs and hugged him. "Promise you ain't mad?"

"Um... Y-yeah," Ranma muttered. 'What are those two up to?' "So um... Akane said you wanted to workout."

"You bet," Nabiki declared. At first, she hadn't liked the idea but the chance to watch Ranma was always appealing and she had extra energy to work off. So, why fight it? Besides, why should Akane have all the fun? Maybe she had been missing something all this time. Still, she was going to do this her way. "But I want a hug first."

"You're kidding, right?" Ranma asked. The little kid gave him a hurt look then stretched her arms upwards. The last thing Ranma wanted to do was hurt the kid's feelings so he bent down and lifted her into a hug. Nabiki squirmed for a moment so she could hug Ranma back and giggled. 'This is just way too weird!' Ranma thought.

End of Chapter 2

Coming next in **Chapter 3 - Ranma's Conundrum**

"Shoujo Fiction™ and the Shoujo Fiction™ logo are a Trademark of Douglas Helm and Will Wolfshohl. Copyrighted ©2002-2003, All Rights Reserved.


	3. Chapter 3 Ranma's Conundrum

**Just a Little Time**  
By Douglas Helm and _"Tuxedo"_ Will Wolfshohl  
Continuing a Ranma ½ story kernel by Dark Oni

Those characters that are original and the story "_Just a Little Time_" are copyrighted ©2003-2004 ShoujoFiction dot com domain by Douglas Helm and Will Wolfshohl. Original kernel copyrighted ©1998 by Dark Oni.

This story and dozens of our other stories reside at **ShoujoFiction dot com** . Comments are welcomed.

**Chapter 3 - Ranma's Conundrum**

**S**ixteen year old Ranma Saotome chewed a tiny mouthful of food suspiciously. He'd taken three nibbles and none of it was affecting him the way he expected. 'That's weird... I ain't dead... Maybe it's delayed,' Ranma thought. He only reluctantly started eating it when the others around the low table continued eating without any apparent concern. His old man (in his panda form) was packing it away as if there wasn't anything to worry about.

Ranma glanced down to his left. The little girl who claimed to be Akane's older sister was eating hungrily. 'Wish I knew what Akane and Nabiki got in mind.' His stomach growled. Ranma sighed a little and started eating at a more normal pace. 'It's gonna kill me either way I suppose.' The pigtailed martial artist sent a glance towards the two fathers. 'Even they're in on it.' That thought didn't comfort him. 'Damn! If Pop's in on it, it must've something to do with me getting married!' Certainly, the two men had tried numerous sundry plans in the past to get the two betrothed teens to wed. 'But why would Akane go along with it?' She usually hated their fathers' intervention as much as he did.

The one factor that completely didn't add up was the little girl. Little "_Nabiki_" had taken to martial arts training with enthusiasm although her patience and stamina were what Ranma had expected of a child so young. She seemed happy enough though. Nevertheless, he had found that practicing and actually teaching were two completely different things.

'They got to spring their plan soon. That kid's got to go home sometime.' That he was sure of. The little girl suddenly jumped to her feet and ran from the room. This jarred him out of his musing.

"Where'd Nabiki go?" a new female voice questioned. Ranma's head snapped around to find Kasumi standing in the doorway. The eldest Tendo daughter was not wearing her usual dress and apron. If Ranma didn't know any better, he'd say she'd just returned from a job.

'Aw man!' Ranma whined silently, 'Even Kasumi's in on it!' His life was truly hell.

Ranma decided that since the kid was temporarily out of the picture, he'd take the plunge. "Okay, Akane," he questioned, "What's going on?"

"What?" she replied, chopsticks poised halfway to her mouth.

"What kinda scheme have you and Nabiki hatched up this time? I ain't got no money." The others were regarding him strangely now. He turned to his father. "This has got to do with me 'n' Akane gettin' married, ain't it Pop?"

"Oh happy day!" Soun wailed, tears again pouring freely from him. Genma gave his son a puzzled look but continued to eat. Akane just sneered.

"Oh my. Whatever do you mean, Ranma?" Kasumi asked him.

The martial artist opened his mouth to respond but stopped just as Nabiki came back into the room looking a little annoyed. 'Stupid body!' she whined to herself.

"Nabiki," Akane suggested, "You should hurry and finish up if you want dessert."

"Ranma said I couldn't have no dessert," Nabiki replied but looked hopefully towards him.

"That's it!" Ranma declared, "This is gettin' way too weird. I'm outta here."

The little girl blinked and watched Ranma sprint across the lawn and leap over the backyard wall before disappearing from sight. 'What's eating him?'

# # # # #

Ranma walked along the fence-top about a block away from the Tendo Dojo. He wasn't sure where he should go. Things were too creepy to return to the dojo so soon. He'd decided to wait until he was reasonably sure the little girl was sent home. Unfortunately, that might take hours. 'And what if she spends the night?'

The growling of his stomach dictated his next stop. It needed food. Maybe he could bum a meal off of Ukyo or Shampoo. 'To heck with them,' he thought. 'This day's way too screwy.' Deciding not to ponder matters further until after he'd eaten, he headed for Ukyo's restaurant to have some of her okonomiyaki. 'Don't need the old ghoul after me again.'

# # # # #

Somewhere else in Nerima, something stirred. It was also hungry and it felt a possible source approaching. A jogger was nearing the turn along the canal at a brisk pace. She was wearing a designer sweatshirt, shorts, and running shoes. The woman trotted along distracted by her recent break up with her boyfriend. Therefore, she didn't see the danger ahead as a translucent tentacle snaked out of the water.

'You aren't going to get away!' the creature thought as it let others snake out. 'Yes, my pretty, come a little closer... That's right, just a little closer...'

With great speed, the tentacles wrapped themselves about the jogger's legs and held on. She yelled and struggled to get away but the creature didn't let go. The woman grew younger rapidly regressing from her late twenties to her teens and then childhood. She was awash in her now massive jogging outfit.

Just as suddenly though, the creature withdrew; there was someone coming. It couldn't risk detection. The jogger's oversized clothing and tennis shoes glowed shrinking to fit her much smaller body. A Disney® sweatshirt and shorts now adorned a confused little girl.

The glow ceased as a man in his early thirties arrived, a scowl on his face. "There you are," he announced to the former woman who was sitting on the ground trying to figure out why she looked about seven.

"What?" she asked and found herself looking up into the face of her ex-boyfriend.

"Honestly, Fumiko... Where on earth were you going?" Still perplexed, the new little girl just sat there and stared up at the man not understanding her anger with him earlier that day. "Come on," he said and lifted her up, "Let's go home." A small part of her mind protested but the vast majority liked the idea. She wrapped her arms around his neck.

# # # # #

Ukyo Kounji looked up from the grill behind her restaurant counter and spied Ranma in the doorway. "Ranma-honey!" she sang happily. "What's up?"

"Akane's cooking."

The restaurateur smiled. "Can't be that bad. You're still walking."

"Yeah..." Ranma admitted, "That's the weird part." He didn't notice the odd look that his childhood friend gave him. "And there's something going on with Nabiki."

She decided not to comment but instead set about whipping up something Ranma was bound to enjoy. She hadn't expected her fiancé to show up and this was definitely a pleasant surprise. As she cooked, she observed Ranma. Even in this strange mood, he was attractive. The fact that he had come to her made him practically glow in her eyes. The brunette sighed mentally. 'If only Ranma would clue in.'

Ukyo, as with all of Ranma's fiancée's, hadn't yet grasped, or didn't wish to grasp, the fact that Ranma had only two real ambitions in life: Become the greatest martial artist in Japan and of greatest importance, get rid of his Jusenkyo curse. A romance or marriage would not further either goal. Not that he would want to dismiss their affections completely. There were plenty of fringe benefits for him like free meals and his reputation as a "_man's man_". Moreover, he had varying degrees of "_like_" for each of the beautiful young women chasing his heart. He just wasn't interested in admitting it to himself let alone anybody else.

As the silence continued, Ukyo decided to try and lift Ranma's mood. "Ranma-honey, you wanna tell me what happened?" When she presented him with his favorite variety of okonomiyaki, he smiled.

"Thanks!" he said then wolfed it down in a matter of seconds. As she set about making another one, Ranma shrugged and then explained, "Well, it all started with me coming home from school..." He related his day, not bothering to mention the attack or his transformation into a little kid. It was a one-time aberration and there was no sense in giving Ukyo ammunition that could conceivably come back to haunt him. He proceeded next to the martial arts workout with the little girl they introduced as Nabiki.

"Nabiki's a cute kid."

Ranma snorted. "I wouldn't say Nabiki was cute... or a kid."

"Oh, Ranma-honey, she really has cheesed you off, hasn't she?" Ukyo commented, "You usually aren't this grumpy with her."

"What worries me is the fact that Akane, our fathers, and even Kasumi's in on it." The chef blinked, started to open her mouth to ask what scheme he was talking about, and then closed it again. Ranma devoured his second helping as he had done the first. "Hey Ukyo! This ain't bad."

"How you can taste it..." Ukyo wondered but started cooking a third.

# # # # #

Soun Tendo looked up from the shogi board as a shadow passed over it. He smiled when he saw it was Nabiki. "Your Uncle Genma is winning."

"He's cheatin'!" Nabiki commented, noticing that the panda was moving pieces around while her father wasn't looking.

"_No, I don't_!" Genma-panda's sign protested.

Nabiki gave the sign a quizzical look and then at her father. "Uncle Genma doesn't do what?" she asked.

"He means he doesn't cheat." The five year old gave her best impression of a snort, which sent her father into laughter. Genma glowered.

He flipped the sign over. "_I'm an innocent panda_!" it declared.

"I can't read that, Daddy," Nabiki grumbled, not recognizing its Kanji components. 'Darn! I should be able to though.' When Soun told her what it said, his youngest daughter replied, "Nope!" This just made him snicker.

Stepping carefully, Nabiki settled herself onto her father's lap and tilted her head back to grin up at him. He smiled and gave her a hug. "Daddy?"

"Yes?"

"Is there any monsters?"

"_Monsters?_" Genma asked holding up another sign.

"No Nabiki."

"But..." Nabiki thought for a moment and then grinned to herself. "Yuki said that somebody gots made inta a baby."

"And she said there was a monster?" The child nodded. "I think," Soun remarked, "She was just trying to scare you." Her father didn't sound pleased about that. "You know if there was a monster, your daddy and Uncle Genma would go out and fight it for you."

Despite how dubious this sounded to Nabiki, it made her feel safe. Squirming away from her father, she went in search of Kasumi. Maybe her big sister knew what was bothering Ranma.

# # # # #

She had just found Kasumi in the living room when Akane also came in. "There you are," Akane declared, "What were you up to, Nabiki?"

"Nothin'," the youngster answered innocently.

"Is that so? Well, it's time for your bath."

"I had one yesterday."

"Yes, but you were working out with Ranma," Akane countered.

"Akane," Kasumi interjected tiredly, "Do you have to give her a bath now?" When both girls regarded their sister, she explained, "I was going to have a nice long soak."

"In that case, Kasumi," Akane suggested, "You can take Nabiki with you."

"Yeah!" Nabiki quickly agreed. 'This'll give me a good opportunity to talk with Kasumi.'

"But Akane..."

"Well, you'll just have to wait."

"Fine..." Kasumi sighed. "Come on, squirt."

'Squirt?' the little girl thought but followed her eldest sister.

# # # # #

A short time later, Nabiki squirmed a little bit in the furo, which was like a small swimming pool to her now. She had an incessant desire to splash about and burn off some of this newfound energy, but she couldn't. Kasumi was in it with her. The little girl had been looking forward to bathing - it was fun, and she had thought her sister would want to play. She had been wrong. Kasumi said she was exhausted and had insisted that Nabiki sit still, a difficult proposition for any five year old.

Instead, she reminisced about the change in her eldest sister. She and her sisters had gone to bathhouses and hot springs many times over the years but Kasumi hadn't been this dull. To five year old Nabiki though, she was dull beyond belief. The nineteen year old maiden just sat there like a lump with her eyes closed.

As Nabiki sat in the warm water, she decided she would have preferred her father to watch over her, or even Akane. This Kasumi was no nonsense, i.e. Nabiki hadn't been allowed to dawdle in her washing before entering the furo. It was definitely not the leisurely bathing experience she was accustomed to as a teen.

She tried to think of her day. Nothing she or her regressed friends had discovered so far brought them any closer to returning back to normal. In addition, everyone she had spoken to who knew her remembered her as five and not seventeen. Of course, she could hardly walk away for five minutes without some grownup sticking their nose in her business.

The world was a lot bigger to her. Things, which Nabiki could practically do in her sleep before, were beyond her. She remembered doing them but the knowledge seemed just out of reach. The approval and comfort of her family and Ranma now gave her great solace. A sound from outside caused her to lose her train of thought. A common event since her unwanted transformation.

"Kasumi, do you think Ranma's mad at me?" the child asked. He was acting rather odd and this seemed like a safe topic of conversation to break the silence.

Her older sister opened her eyes and stared at her for a moment before smiling slightly. "No... I think something else is bothering Ranma."

"Um..." the little girl replied. 'This ain't no fun!' "Can I get out now, please Kasumi?"

"Sure." If she didn't know any better, she would have thought her sister's tone sounded almost grateful. Kasumi got out, helped the younger girl out, and wrapped a large towel around her. Then she instructed, "Go find Akane, and she'll help you get changed into your pajamas." She then climbed back in.

The little girl blinked, shrugged mentally, and left the bathroom. Kasumi was acting weirder than Ranma. Then again, she discovered that her elder sister now had to work a full-time job outside the house. She wished she could help out her family like she had before. Nanami was mean for taking her money.

Akane, when Nabiki found her, sighed and then shook her head. "Honestly." The now middle Tendo daughter muttered. "Want me to read you a story after we get you dressed?" she inquired.

"I want Ranma to," Nabiki answered.

Akane smoothed out her sister's hair. "He's gone out, Nabiki. Besides, I don't mind reading to you."

The little girl considered then offered, "Akane, can I read to you instead?" Her now older sister smiled at her and nodded. "Neat!" Nabiki squeaked and ran for the stairs, her towel falling off in the process. "I'll get the book!"

"Nabiki Tendo!" Akane called out and hurried off after the youngster.

# # # # #

Ranma stopped in his narration as his daughters snickered. He glanced at Soun who just grinned at him. Akane shifted their youngest to a more comfortable position then said, "You know things get more interesting." The girls just giggled again as Ranma took up the story.

# # # # #

When Ranma got home from Ukyo's restaurant, he expected a yelling match with Akane to ensue. It usually happened that way. It was therefore a surprise to him when she only frowned and wondered, "So, where did you go?"

"Ukyo's."

The frown deepened. "All this time?"

"I wasn't there THAT long, Akane."

She made a disapproving noise then requested, "Well, Ranma, please go check in on Nabiki for me. I'm sure she's stayed up just to say goodnight."

He blinked. He was about to open his mouth to comment that it wasn't necessary then decided against it. Maybe this was the climax of Akane and Nabiki's scheme. He was both curious and terrified of what it could be.

Things were really weird today. As he headed for the stairs, he pondered Ukyo's reaction to him. His time there only caused him to become more perplexed. 'Ukyo acted surprised when I told her about Akane's cooking.' The spatula-wielding martial artist had thought Ranma was being paranoid when he mentioned a possible plot against him between Nabiki and Akane. 'Why didn't she believe me?' He sighed and walked down the hall towards Nabiki's room.

The pigtailed martial artist couldn't help but be anxious. Nabiki's schemes were always to her advantage. They usually caused him great embarrassment and more often than not, a loss of money. Still, she usually didn't involve others in them. There was no escaping that she'd dragged Akane and their fathers into it and that was troublesome. How big was the conspiracy? 'Maybe even Ukyo's in on it.' He shook that off.

When he noticed Nabiki's door, it puzzled him. It was open and there was a soft glow. Creeping forward, he was surprised by the change the room had undergone. The teenage décor he remembered from the few times he had seen it was gone. This was most assuredly a little girl's room. Therefore, he wasn't surprised to see the youngster everybody was claiming was Nabiki lying in bed. Her tiny form was lit by the glow of a nightlight, an arm wrapped around a stuffed toy panda.

"Uh... Nabiki?" He tapped on the door prepared to see the seventeen year schemer leap into view. That didn't happen. The little girl stirred, not what Ranma wanted. 'What's everybody up to?' Nabiki had to be around somewhere. "Nabiki!" he hissed in a softer voice. Instead, the little girl turned and peered at the doorway with a frown.

She gave Ranma a sleepy look. It was only when her brain realized who it was that she smiled. Pushing out of bed, Nabiki padded over to Ranma and stretched up her arms for a hug. The pigtailed teen just looked down at her with confusion.

When a scowl crossed his face, the youngster let her arms fall. She felt unhappy that Ranma was mad at her. She gave him an unhappy look. She shouldn't care what he felt but she did. 'The kid must be named Nabiki too. Ain't her fault she's stuck in this.' Ranma's face smoothed out and he bent down. "Hey, don't cry or nothin'," he remarked. "Akane said you were in bed."

"I was," Nabiki replied. "I waited up for you, Ranma." At least, she had tried but ten minutes after hitting the pillow, she had fallen asleep. Ranma blinked and then shook his head but he wasn't looking so serious. Deciding to take advantage of Ranma's position, she stepped forward and wrapped her arms around his neck. "Thanks for lettin' me workout with ya." The little girl was happy when his arms came around and hugged her gingerly. She wiggled, snuggling her head under his chin, and closed her eyes.

Carefully Ranma straightened. He wasn't sure what this scheme was, or why the kid was here, or what had happened to Nabiki's room. Happily, at least she didn't have Nabiki's mercenary personality. Moments later as Ranma was wondering what to do with the obviously sleeping child he was holding, Akane appeared.

She smiled but sighed. "Honestly, Ranma," she berated him softly. "I wish you had waited to go to Ukyo's until after Nabiki was put to bed."

"Um..." Ranma said, her statement puzzled him.

"She was disappointed that you weren't around to read her a story."

Ranma regarded Akane and for some reason suddenly found himself thinking, she looked cute. He shook that off and peered down at the small figure in his arms. "Akane?"

"Yeah?"

"What's going on?"

The raven-haired girl blinked and gave Ranma a funny look. "Are you okay, Ranma? You've been acting weird all day." Before he could answer, she requested, "Go put Nabiki back in bed. She has school tomorrow."

"Me?" Ranma asked and then decided to provoke a reaction, "Aren't you the one who says I'm a pervert?"

Akane went pink and looked away. "Jeez, that only happened the one time," she huffed remembering the time she had walked into the bathroom and found Ranma there in boy form instead of girl form as she had expected. "It was my fault anyways." She looked at Ranma and continued, "You know Dad wouldn't let you near us if he thought you were a danger. Even Happosai, the master of perversion, is harmless around kids." She gave him a soft smile.

'Damn!' Ranma thought when Akane smiled, she looked even cuter. 'I'm in big trouble.'

"'Sides, you'd be the last person to hurt Nabiki. You're always looking out for me... I mean her." Akane's cheeks flushed again and she turned away.

Finding this situation quite atypical of his usual fair, Ranma avoided making a snide remark about Akane always needing rescuing. Instead, he admitted, "Well... You are kinda cute." Hoping she couldn't recover quickly from such an unexpected remark, Ranma moved into Nabiki's remade room and settled the little girl back into bed. He mentally patted himself on the back for avoiding the trap for yet another day.

# # # # #

The next morning, Nabiki Tendo balanced drowsily on the toilet grumbling about the size of her internal organs as her equally small feet dangled above the floor. Giving a massive yawn, she sleepily finished up, washed her hands, and padded out of the hallway. She paused and listened. It sounded like Kasumi, or maybe it was Akane, was in the kitchen. She couldn't be sure anymore in this mixed up reality. The little girl decided to head back upstairs.

'Maybe I can crawl in with Ranma,' Nabiki mused. "That'd be one way of getting warm," she giggled softly. 'I don't like him like a boyfriend or nothing,' she told herself although she wasn't stupid enough to deny she had developed affection for this Ranma.

Nabiki had given little thought to this. Had she misjudged Ranma somewhat? It was hard to compare since this world's Ranma was so different from hers. 'But how do I get back?' There was the problem of seeking help. 'If I tell Akane or Ranma, they'll think I'm nuts!' So would any other grownup she knew for that matter. She sighed, pushed the thoughts of leaving away, and stopped outside of Ranma's room. She was about to slide the door open when there came a shouting of voices.

Startled, Nabiki jumped back, only just avoiding being trampled, as Ranma raced from the room. Genma quickly followed. "**Come back here, boy!**" Genma bellowed.

"Stupid panda!" Nabiki grumbled towards the vanishing figure of Genma then raced after the father and son martial artists. As she ran down the stairs and through the hallway, and into their backyard where the koi pond was, she heard the sounds of early morning battle.

The five year old arrived just in time to see Ranma punt his father into the backyard wall. "Give it up, old man!" Ranma taunted from a safe distance. "You're gettin' too old for this!"

"Is that the best you can do, boy?" Genma growled as he leapt to his feet.

The "_battle_" playing out before her made the usually reserved Nabiki giddy with excitement. She bounced around the engawa acting as a one-person cheering section. Her high-pitched shouts mixed easily with the battle cries of the two combatants. All this noise roused the rest of the house and soon Nabiki found herself being held firmly by Akane who was still dressed in her pajamas.

"If you're that energetic, Nabiki," Akane instructed, "Let's go get you dressed for school."

"No!" Nabiki protested, "I wanna see who wins!" Ranma had already bested his father twice more.

"Nabiki..." Akane began but then she stopped as Genma lunged. "Not again..." The teen sighed. This time, the pigtailed youth couldn't avoid his father's attack so was flung headfirst into the pond. There was a spectacular splash. Genma got soaked and changed. As Nabiki watched, her eyes grew wide.

"Not again!" wailed a red-haired little girl. Ranma looked down at his now very small frame. 'I'm little... I thought it was a one shot thing.' Then fear took hold of him - his father wasn't above attacking him in female form and this smaller version would be even more at a disadvantage. She scrambled up, slipped, and fell face first into the water.

Genma-panda gave a sad sigh and shook his furry head. Nabiki managed to read the sign that the panda held up, simply, "_Sorry._" Sadly, the transformed father waddled towards the house. Ranma stood up fuming and bewildered. She scrambled out of the pond only to stand on the grass in an overly large and very damp shirt, which stretched down to his feet. Her pants and boxers remained in the pond where they had fallen off her five year old body.

Nabiki, not one for swearing at any time, voiced her shock in a much-unexpected way, "**Holy shit!**" Little Ranma just plopped down onto the grass and burst into tears.

End of Chapter 3

Coming next in **Chapter 4 - New Friends**

"Shoujo Fiction™ and the Shoujo Fiction™ logo are a Trademark of Douglas Helm and Will Wolfshohl. Copyrighted ©2002-2003, All Rights Reserved.


	4. Chapter 4 New Friends

**Just a Little Time**  
By Douglas Helm and _"Tuxedo"_ Will Wolfshohl  
Continuing a Ranma ½ story kernel by Dark Oni

Those characters that are original and the story "_Just a Little Time_" are copyrighted ©2003-2004 ShoujoFiction dot com domain by Douglas Helm and Will Wolfshohl. Original kernel copyrighted ©1998 by Dark Oni.

This story and dozens of our other stories reside at **ShoujoFiction dot com** . Comments are welcomed.

**Chapter 4 - New Friends**

**N**abiki Tendo's kindergarten class was busy finger-painting. She might have enjoyed this activity had it not been for her friend Maki. Maki had made Yuriko cry. Little Yuriko had been using the yellow paint when the girl had simply snatched it from her without explanation. Nabiki couldn't figure out why her normally repressed friend was acting out. She had been fuming since their arrival at school.

But then, Nabiki was in no mood to discuss the behavioral changes she'd observed in her two regressed friends or what happened to her that morning. Both Maki and Yuriko could tell their leader seemed quieter than usual. This was perfectly fine with Yuriko who simply wanted to blend into the background after enduring another evening of harassment by her "_older_" sister. On the other hand, Maki had been annoyed by Nabiki's lack of candor.

"She's scary," the little girl commented.

Nabiki, pulled from her painting by that statement, glanced up and then followed the gaze of Yuriko. Maki was sitting alone in a corner separated from her classmates.

'Yes, she is,' Nabiki agreed silently and then sighed, "She's mad."

"She wants to go back."

"So do I!" Nabiki hissed. 'I'm trying. What do they expect?' Yuriko looked like she might cry again so Nabiki groaned, "Sorry Yuriko." The little girl glanced over to where Maki was. For a few moments, they were distracted when another classmate came looking for one of their colors.

Once he had left with the jar, Nabiki sighed a little, glanced towards Maki, and said, "My fault."

"Huh?" another little girl nearby asked. Nabiki started waving her hand then stopped remembering it was covered in paint. Instead, she set about pushing paint over her paper again.

'Daddy was scary!' the five year old recalled. Soun Tendo had overheard his little girl swearing that morning. The fact that she had in point of fact shocked Nabiki more than it did her father. Had Ranma heard her? Would he cancel their afternoon workout? It was embarrassing. Nabiki was always one to maintain her decorum around others. Therefore, when her father took her hand and started down the hall, the little girl originally thought she was in for a spanking. Instead, she had been taken to the bathroom and presented with a bar of soap. Her father stood there with his arms crossed and didn't say a word. Recalling from a memory from childhood, Nabiki took the bar, wetted it, and rubbed a small finger on it. She then touched her soapy finger to her tongue. The taste still lingered even after rinsing her mouth thoroughly a minute later. She could have refused, but the little girl suspected that that would mean having to face Akane, not something she wished to do.

Nabiki grimaced slightly and looked around for some blue paint. 'I need to talk with Ranma.' She slopped some blue paint onto the thick sheet of construction paper the teacher had provided and smeared it about. 'Can't talk to Kasumi, the lump.' She pushed that unkind thought away although it didn't go very far. She knew her elder sister was doing what she could to support the family. 'I definitely don't want to tell Akane.' Nabiki had the very unsettling, possibly misguided, idea that if Akane were told, she'd most assuredly spank the little girl. Her now big sister was kind, tried very hard, but was still hot-tempered. Moreover, the five year old couldn't quite shake the feeling every time she was around Akane, that she was a burden.

"Nabiki?"

"Wha-?" Nabiki started, nearly knocking over a paint jar.

"Nabiki, time to clean up," the teacher instructed.

"H... 'Kay." Yuriko was looking at her with a worried expression. Maki was glaring at her. It was rather disconcerting.

# # # # #

Ranma Saotome sat slumped at his desk in Furinkan High School. His mind was not on the lecture, even though the subject was slightly interesting. His mind kept wandering back to the pond, to his father. To Akane. The teen glanced over to where she was sitting. She caught his eye and looked away. She appeared concerned.

'Sorta nice,' he thought to himself. His fiancée seemed less tomboyish the last couple of days. 'At least, she didn't tease me. Seemed a little exasperated though.' The pigtailed martial artist couldn't blame her. 'But what am I going to do?' He tried to think it through. 'Okay, I change into a little kid. It was a fluke, right? But twice?' Ranma turned his mind away from that. 'Okay and then this little kid's there. What is Nabiki and the others up to?' Again, he set that aside. He didn't know and didn't really want to think about such an unpleasant thing.

'Kuno... Kuno's the same.' That, at any rate, was reassuring, 'And Ukyo too.' He considered but couldn't think of anything. Ranma might have gone back to something more appealing like thinking about "_The Art_" when an all too familiar battle cry made him smile.

"**RANMA SAOTOME! PREPARE TO DIE!**" It was Ryouga.

# # # # #

Akane Tendo shifted the bucket of water hanging from her hand fuming the entire time. "I can't believe Ryouga did this to me!" she grumbled. Not getting any response from her companion, she turned to see Ranma staring at the sloshing contents with a mixture of horror and confusion.

"Don't worry, Ranma. It isn't going to leap out of the bucket." Ranma gave her a sickly smile. She smiled back which seemed to have the effect of brightening his mood a little. "I hope Ryouga's good and lost!"

"Er... Ain't you gonna blame this on me?" the pigtailed martial artist asked.

"Why would I do that?" Akane questioned with surprise.

# # # # #

"Because, you're always doin' that, Mommy," her middle daughter interrupted. Ranma and Soun smirked as Akane glowered at the youngster. "Um... Maybe not..."

Before Ranma could continue, a knock came at the front door. "I'll go see who that is," Soun announced. He got up then shuffled from the room. After a few moments, he returned, a grin on his face.

"Who was it, Mr. Tendo?" Ranma asked.

"Me!" said a chipper voice and Nabiki Tendo popped into the room.

"Ah nuts!" huffed the second youngest. "There goes the story."

"And hello to you, too," Nabiki declared and gently patted her young niece on the head. Then turned to her sister and asked, "What story?"

"It's HIS story, Nabiki," Akane replied and pointed at her husband. The middle Tendo daughter cocked a quizzical eyebrow. Ranma for his part just grinned and motioned to his sister-in-law to sit down.

"Well?" Nabiki prompted.

# # # # #

Ranma just regarded her speechless for a moment and then commented, "You always do." Akane developed an expression on her face that indicated she was going to beat him senseless with the bucket. A splash of water striking her shoes made her remember what was in the bucket. She sighed. "Don't you, Akane?"

"Well, most of the time it IS your fault, Ranma," she huffed. "But this time, Ryouga burst into class and you weren't doing a thing."

He was puzzled but turned his attention to holding the two buckets of water placed in his charge. Their teacher hadn't taken the incident very well. The brunette turned back to her own thoughts and for a few moments, the hallway outside their classroom was quiet except for the muffled sounds of lessons in the neighboring classes.

"Um Ranma, do you think Nabiki's been acting odd?"

"Yeah, she ain't tried to blackmail me all day." Akane stifled a giggle. "Well, she hasn't."

"True, she's usually wants you to buy her some ice cream or something." He was about to respond that that wasn't what he had meant when Akane pointed out, "You've been acting odd too. What's wrong?"

'Oh jeez!' Ranma thought beginning to panic, 'What do I do now?' He stared up at the ceiling for a few moments, then he noticed that Akane was staring at him. Nervously, he sat down one bucket and put a hand behind his head. "Well... You see, Akane... Nah, you wouldn't believe me."

"Try me." That was a clear challenge.

"Okay, I turn into a little kid."

"Nothing new there," Akane said dismissively.

"I should actually turn into a teenage girl."

Much to his surprise, his fiancée donned an interested expression at that point. "So, Ranma," she began, sounding a little excited, "You figure if you can't get rid of your curse, you'll modify it to be the same age?" Before he could think of anything to say, their teacher called them back into class.

# # # # #

Nabiki Tendo squirmed as Akane dressed her in her gi for that afternoon's workout. "My, you're full of energy today, Nabiki," Akane commented with a grin.

"Yep!" the little girl chirped and giggled as her sister reached a ticklish spot.

"How was school?"

"Good," and then Nabiki added, "Maki needs a timeout though."

"How come?"

"Grumpy!"

"She was grumpy?" The little girl nodded. "Why?"

"She wet the bed," was the reply. "And her mommy gots mad." She considered the older girl for a few moments. "Akane, would you get mad?"

"Only if you did it on purpose, Nabiki," her sister answered, "So her mommy got mad?"

"Yeah," Nabiki chirped, trying very hard to keep still. "Maki said so." Then again, her friend had said that her mother had whacked her. Nabiki highly doubted this considering the ten years she's known their family. 'Maki's just grumpy 'cause she's little again.' Then she mused, 'Not that I want to stay this way but at least I'm five.' It could have been worse. "I don't wet the bed. I'm a big girl."

"That's right," the teenager agreed then commented, "Ranma was hoping he could be older too."

"Really?" Nabiki asked with interest.

"Really," Akane affirmed. Then she gave her little sister an affectionate swat on the bottom. "Go on, Nabiki. Workout all that energy." Giggling, the five year old skipped out of the room.

# # # # #

Nabiki arrived downstairs to find a commotion in progress. Ranma was being chased by Shampoo.

"Ranma date Shampoo! Go with now so have good time!"

"No way, Shampoo!" he shouted and darted around the corner of the house. Shampoo was in hot pursuit.

"Wait for me!" Nabiki squeaked and rushed after them, her little legs pounding. She arrived just in time to see the purple-haired girl tackle Ranma about the legs. The pigtailed martial artist, by either bad luck or misfortune, fell into the pond. Nabiki waited to see if the Chinese Amazon would get splashed as well but it was not to be.

"Nihau!" Shampoo squeaked with delight and hauled a struggled and cursing Ranma to her. All Nabiki could see was a red squirming bundle. "Ramy now play?"

"Ramy?" Nabiki wondered and then rushed forward.

"Git off!" Ranma shouted in a high-pitched voice.

"You gonna turn into a kitty?" Nabiki asked.

"Aiya!" Shampoo gasped and dropped the little redhead who landed with a thud. The five year old tried hard not to giggle. She approached closer to have a good look at transformed child. As the pigtailed girl stood, Nabiki observed that Ranma was an inch or so shorter than her.

"Stupid shirt!" Ranma grumbled and shed if off.

"Ramy nakey!" Shampoo cooed. Nabiki gaped. It took a few moments to understand that she was standing exposed.

"Eep!" the redhead commented and rushed for the house, her white bottom intermittently flashing. Nabiki doubled over with a fit of giggles. Thankfully, Akane saved Ranma, although not his pride. She appeared holding a pink dress and a set of underpants.

"Oh come here, Ranma," Akane commanded. "You can play with Nabiki for awhile."

Ranma was too stunned to protest and soon, she found herself dressed in said pink dress and underpants. Both seemed to fit well. The five year old collapsed to the ground laughing, hardly able to breathe.

Ranma fumed; Shampoo just grinned. When Nabiki had sufficiently recovered, she pushed herself up and tried very hard not to laugh. It was a challenge.

"Nabiki get ball," Shampoo suggested, "We play catch with Ramy." This just set the child off into another fit of giggles. Eventually Nabiki got herself somewhat under control and she went off in search of a ball.

By the time she returned, Ranma, still in his little girl form, seemed in better spirits. Something had obviously been said to the redhead. At least Nabiki thought so because Ranma got into the game, and even seemed to like wearing the dress. She might have spent time trying to puzzle out this conundrum but the game and the ensuing fun quickly distracted her from any worries.

# # # # #

Ranma was, to say the least, upset when he finally was allowed to change back to normal. Once again, he had transformed into a cute little girl. One smaller to his dismay even than the miniature version of Nabiki. What fueled his anger was that fact that he had liked playing with the two girls. "I betcha this is the old letch's fault!" a quite wet and decidedly male Ranma declared as he sat down heavily at the low table. "Damn pervert wasn't happy making me weak, hasta make me look little too!"

"Ranma!" Akane hissed, sending a meaningful look towards her little sister. She'd have to warn him about watching his language in front of Nabiki. Nevertheless, the pigtailed martial artist ignored her.

"You not s'pposed to be little?" Nabiki asked, a slight frown creasing her brow.

"Don't worry, Nabsy," Akane began, making the little girl frown even more, "Ranma's a little grumpy. Ryouga attacked him at school today." She gave the youngster a smile. "Ranma still likes to play games with you... Now eat up or else your supper will get cold."

He sent a dark look towards the teen muttered something, and then told Nabiki, "Yeah, I'm supposed to stay sixteen when I change."

The five year old suddenly felt very sad. "Don'tcha wanna be my friend?"

"Ranma, see what you did?" Akane demanded of him in a loud whisper.

"Oh come on, Akane. This has gone far enough," Ranma declared, causing everyone at the table to stare at him. "Where in the world is the REAL Nabiki? What are you guys all up to?"

"Son?" Genma asked, for once in human form.

"What do you mean, Ranma?" Soun asked, looking as if he might burst into tears, "Is something wrong with my sweet little Nabiki?"

Kasumi put an elbow on the table, rested her chin in her hand, and with the other tapped Nabiki hard on the head while saying, "She's right here, Father."

"Ow!" Nabiki complained and gave her oldest sister an annoyed look.

"See?" asked Kasumi.

"What do you mean by '_the __real__ Nabiki_?'" Akane questioned, looking both puzzled and a little worried.

"Well for starters," Ranma ranted, "She shouldn't be five."

"I'm not?" Nabiki questioned.

"Because you're supposed to be _older_ than me."

"He's lost his mind. What's a father to do? Tendo, please forgive me," Genma commented to his longtime friend. That drove the father over the edge and into a fountain of tears.

"Shut up, old man."

"Meow!" Genma replied which got the reaction he had been looking for. Ranma had shot to the other side of the room. Nabiki giggled. She couldn't help it and then felt a little guilty.

"Don'tcha like me no more, Ranma?" the child asked softly.

The martial artist didn't even pause to think. "No," he stated emphatically. The little girl's face crumpled up, she sniffled, and then burst into a flood of tears that outdid Soun's.

"RAN-MA!" thundered a towering Akane swinging a large mallet, produced seemingly from nowhere, over her head.

'Urk!' was Ranma's only thought before the blow landed.

# # # # #

Luckily for the young martial artist, the blow never connected. At the last instant, Akane jerked the mallet away and let it sail out of her hands. Unfortunately for Genma, said mallet hit him knocking him out cold. Ranma blinked.

"Sorry, Mr. Saotome." Akane turned back to Ranma. "I promised Nabiki I wouldn't hit you," she remarked. "Ranma, Nabiki's been a good girl all day. Unless you know something she did wrong, I think you should apologize to her."

Ranma blinked again. He was still waiting for the uncute tomboy to hit him. He glanced at his unconscious father and then at Nabiki, whose initial burst of tears had subsided into hiccupping sniffles. He sighed and walked over to where the little girl was. The youngster glared at him; he didn't blame her.

"Sorry, kiddo," Ranma apologized, "Didn't mean it."

"You like me?" Nabiki asked again, sounding as if she'd burst into a fresh set of tears at any moment.

He gave this serious consideration. 'Nabiki can sure be difficult. She has helped out though.' It wasn't that he hated the mercenary girl; he just didn't like some of the crap she pulled. "Sure I do, Nabiki," he said and patted her gently on the head. "I just had a bad day and got mad at ya. Like I said, didn't mean to hurt ya or nothing." The little girl wasn't about to forgive Ranma completely but he had apologized.

"I wanna hug," Nabiki requested and got one. After that, supper continued.

During the rest of the meal, Nabiki considered what she had learned. The more she thought about it, the more she wanted to find out if the Ranma sitting at the table was the Ranma she knew or the other Ranma, the one that belonged to this reality. The youngster didn't have to wait long for the opportunity to find out.

After supper, the two fathers left the house saying they'd be gone a while. Nabiki suspected she knew where they were going. Meanwhile, Akane prodded Kasumi into helping her with the dishes so it was up to Ranma to watch the youngest Tendo daughter.

When she thought that her two older sisters were sufficiently occupied washing dishes, Nabiki padded around the table. She sat down beside Ranma who was flipping through channels. "Ran-ma?" He laid the remote down and turned his attention to the five year old.

"Do you 'member when you fought that prince guy?"

"Which one?" Ranma asked.

"Of Illuthions," Nabiki supplied. She winced as she mangled the last word.

"Oh, monkey boy."

"Yeah, him."

"Yeah. What about it, Nabiki?" Ranma asked.

"Well..." Nabiki glanced about to make sure that nobody was around. "You blew up the spring... BOOM!" She giggled and tried to stifle it. "You messed up your chance to stop being a girl, right?"

The teen gaped at her for several seconds before asking, "Yeah but... Hey wait... How do you know about that?"

"We all went on Kuno's boat. I was wearin' a real pretty bathing suit and stuff."

"That was some fun, huh?"

"Fun?" Nabiki asked with a dubious expression but then took a deep breath and continued, "Ranma, Akane didn't wanna be your girlfriend no more, right? So I took over and you chased me into a maze and grabbed her, right?"

"Hey!" The martial-artist exclaimed and stared at the little girl.

"What's all the fuss?" Akane asked, coming into the room.

"Nothing," Nabiki and Ranma both said. They regarded each other and grinned.

"Nabiki was just tellin' me a story."

"Oh... Okay then. Just keep it down to a dull roar, will ya?" Akane turned around and left the room. They waited until they were sure she was gone.

"Are you the real Nabiki?"

"Are you the real Ranma?" Nabiki asked in return.

Ranma thought for a moment and said, "Well if you are the real Nabiki, you know what I asked you when I borrowed that money from you for Akane's Christmas present."

"Sure," the child chirped. "You wanted to know if I'd stiff you on the in-int-interest again. I didn't."

"Oh man!" Ranma moaned, "So this ain't just me!" Nabiki blinked but didn't say anything. "I thought I was going nuts. Couldn't figure out why Pop and Akane weren't acting like me changing into a little kid was weird. Shampoo and Ukyo seemed okay. Heck, even Ryouga was the same." He gave Nabiki a look. "But you..."

"Did you think I set this up?" the little girl asked.

"Most of it," he answered after a moment.

"Ranma, I might be sneaky but not that sneaky," Nabiki declared, although she felt rather proud that Ranma thought her intelligent enough to cook something this big up. "'Sides, no gain. 'N' who'd wanna be five again?"

"Uh, about before..." Ranma was looking nervous. Nabiki got up and settled into his lap making him even more nervous.

"You did say you were sorry," Nabiki supplied, "'N' I think you meant it."

"I was mad," Ranma said, "But not at you, Nabiki. So what happened?"

Before Nabiki could respond, Akane appeared again. "Well, I'm glad you two have made up. Nabiki, if you want to watch that movie tonight, you'll have to take your bath now."

"Movie?" he questioned.

"Akane, can Ranma watch me?" Nabiki asked and then commented, "Kasumi's boring! Please?"

"Well Ranma?"

"I guess..." he reluctantly agreed and then mumbled so that only Nabiki could hear, "Are you sure?"

"Come on, Ranma. Gotta get my stuff." She grabbed his hand. Bewildered, Ranma let the little girl lead him from the room.

A short time later, Nabiki and Ranma were in the outer room to the furo. The little girl was glaring up at Ranma with undisguised exasperation.

"You can't watch me from out in the hall," she told him sternly.

"Doesn't it bother you that I'll see you naked?" Ranma asked plaintively.

"Don't worry 'bout it," Nabiki replied although she blushed a little. "This body ain't worried unless I really thinks 'bout it." She regarded Ranma and said seriously, "Ranma, you're a girl too... sometimes." He seemed unconvinced. She looked down at her socked feet and offered, "'Sides, I'm five, and I sometimes get carried away. It's weird. I might wanna try diving into the furo." Ranma winced. "I won't though."

"Akane could've watched you," the pigtailed martial artist countered.

"Sure but we need to talk 'n' stuff, right?" The youngster looked up at Ranma. "I know you're ain't a per... that word what Akane says you are sometimes." He got a sour expression on his face, which made her giggle. "Just watch me. I promise to be good."

"Why?"

She stared him with round eyes. "You don't get it, do ya?"

"What?"

"If I'm naughty, somebody's gonna lower the boom. That includes you." Ranma blinked so she related the incident about the rice. She certainly didn't want to follow in Yuriko's footsteps.

"Wish I could have seen that, Nabiki," he mused with a smirk. "Okay, kiddo, you're gonna have to help me though." The little girl just smiled at him and raised her arms so her T-shirt could slide off.

Sometime later, Nabiki was splashing happily in the furo. Once her initial burst of energy had passed, she stopped and rested her arms on the side of the tub and put her chin on them. "Well, Ranma, I s'ppose we can talk now."

"Guess so," he agreed. "So what happened?" This question produced a story in which little Nabiki felt compelled to act out. Her narration came to an abrupt halt when Ranma leapt to his feet and started for the door.

"Hey, where are ya goin'?" Nabiki demanded.

"I gotta a score to settle with that monster. That's what got me and if I pound the snot out of it, things should be back to normal."

"But... Ranma, you can't!"

"Huh? Don't you wanna change back, Nabiki?" Ranma asked.

"Yeah I do," she answered. She knelt in the water her head barely above the surface of the water. "Ranma, if you take off now, Akane's going to have a fit. You're already making her susp-suspicious."

"That's bad, ain't it?"

"Yes!" Ranma came back. "Look, beating it up may not fix stuff. If you kill it, we may be stuck like this."

"Oh man!" The little girl nodded.

"We won't have long though. Ain't no way you'll be able to keep it up, Ranma."

"Hey!" Ranma squawked. "I can handle anything!"

"Oh yeah?" Nabiki asked.

"Yeah!"

"Okay, smart guy, what if I earn a spanking?"

"Won't happen."

"I ain't so sure. It's getting harder to think like a big girl. That's why I need your help, Ranma. Please?"

He didn't want to talk about it so asked, "What if we get you dried, and then you can watch that movie?" 'I'll just wait until she's asleep and then sneak out of the house.'

"'Kay!" Nabiki chirped and scrambled from the tub.

# # # # #

Late that night, at least it seemed to Nabiki, she was roused from a sound sleep by something. At first, she lay there trying to determine what it was.

'Well,' Nabiki mused, 'I don't have to use the bathroom.' She checked herself. 'And I'm not wet.' That was a good sign. 'But what woke me up?' At first, she assumed it might have been the wind but as she lay there, she could hear voices. Still clutching the stuffed panda, she padded to her open door and listened. It was Akane's voice, and somebody else. It took her still sleep-clouded brain to figure out that the next voice was of Ranma, although in his much smaller girl form.

"It was scary!" the high-pitched voice whined plaintively.

"Ranma," Akane began, "I know it was but it's okay now. You're home."

Curious, Nabiki crept down the hallway cautiously. "How on earth did you get soaked?" her sister demanded. The voices were getting closer. Squatting down, Nabiki inched her head around the corner and saw Akane carrying a smaller version of Ranma up the stairs.

"Monster!" Ranma declared and hid her face against Akane. The teen hugged what appeared to be a frightened child.

"Shh! It's okay. You don't wanna wake up Nabiki." Ranma, much to Nabiki's surprise, sniffled and shook her head. "There there, honey." Akane smoothed some of Ranma's matted hair. "You wait here and I'll get you a towel."

"**NO!**" Ranma uncharacteristically wailed and clung to Akane, "**It'll get me!**"

Nabiki's heart leapt into her throat as her imagination suddenly went into overdrive. "EEE!" she squeaked, dropped the stuff panda she was holding, fled around the corner, and rushed headlong towards Akane. Even before the teen could say anything, Nabiki had wrapped her arms around her sister's legs.

"Oh jeez!" the sixteen year old grumbled. Ranma, for his part, squirmed out of the teenager's arms and dropped to the floor. After a moment, the child flung her arms around Nabiki and started to cry again. It took Akane a few minutes to get untangled from the pair. "Ranma?"

"Wha-?" the little girl replied.

"Wanna stay with Nabiki tonight?"

Nabiki blinked in surprise and then was even more startled when Ranma nodded she did. "She looked after me."

"Nabiki, go back to bed while I get Ranma ready."

'Into that dark room?' Nabiki wondered. "Not on your life!" It seemed her older sister was in a good humor because Akane didn't explode at that point. Soon the child found herself in the middle with a stuffed panda on one side and a soundly sleeping Ranma on the other.

Yawning, Nabiki let her panda go and hugged Ranma before going off to sleep.

# # # # #

It wasn't until Saturday that any real action could be taken. Kasumi was still at work, Akane had gone off with her friends, and the two fathers were off somewhere so that just left Nabiki and Ranma home alone.

Ranma had gone for a change so wore an orange sleeveless shirt and black pants. Nabiki was dressed in a set of green overalls and a blue shirt.

"This is new for me," Nabiki remarked between mouthfuls of food, "Akane usually gets attacked 'n' stuff."

"Hmmm..." Ranma mumbled in a distracted tone. The little girl frowned.

"Think we should see Cologne?"

"The Old Ghoul? Why not tell Akane?" Ranma asked.

Nabiki's eyes opened wide. "No way!" He frowned. "'Sides, Ranma, she would think I was just pretending."

"Then why go to Cologne?" Ranma wondered. "She might be behind this."

"I forgot."

There was silence for several seconds and then Ranma began, "What about..." Nabiki stopped her eating, several ramen noodles hanging from her mouth. "Well, Nabiki, Dr. Tofu might know something I suppose. He knows a lot about all kinds of stuff. Besides, he's a lot friendlier than the Old Ghoul."

The five year old mumbled something around the noodles then swallowed. "Can we go now, Ranma?"

"Okay, finish up then we'll go for a walk." There was a moment's silence and then Ranma asked, "Can I ask you something?"

"Wha?" Nabiki replied, a curious expression on her face.

"You seem to like working out with me."

"Yeah, it's fun!" Nabiki beamed. Ranma only frowned. "What's wrong?" she questioned, her voice becoming worried.

"You seem to like me too." The little girl just smiled and went back to finishing her lunch.

The duo was just heading out the door when Akane came in. "Hi you two, where are you going?"

"Ice cream!" Nabiki squealed happily.

"Hey!" Ranma exclaimed, "I didn't say nothin' about ice cream."

"Oh pooh, Ranma!" Nabiki said, "Don't be a meanie!" Akane cocked an eyebrow.

"I asked if you wanted to go for a walk. Didn't say nothing about no treats." Her bottom lip shot out in a pout.

"Guess she doesn't want to go, Ranma," Akane commented. The five year old pouted even more and crossed her arms.

"What about getting some on the way back, Nabsy?" Akane sighed and shook her head.

"Yeah!" Nabiki cheered and giggling, ran out of the house.

"Ranma, you give in way too easy." 'He'll be a great father someday.'

"And you want to keep her here where she'll sulk?"

"Uh... no. Of course not," Akane admitted and produced some money, "Take your time. I'm gonna like having the house to myself for a few hours." He just grinned.

"Thanks!" Then he rushed off after Nabiki who was standing with an impatient expression on her face at the end of the gate.

# # # # #

Nabiki was squealing with a mixture of terror and delight as Ranma moved along the fence-tops at a fair speed. She was sitting upon his shoulders, clinging tightly to his head.

"This is fun!" she declared. Why hadn't she tried this before? She then gave a yelp of fear and yanked rather hard on Ranma's hair as they vaulted over an intersection.

There were nearly to Dr. Tofu's clinic when Nabiki realized she needed to use the bathroom. 'I can't tell Ranma!' Nabiki worried, 'Hey, I ain't no baby. I can hold it until we get to Dr. Tofu's.'

End of Chapter 4

Coming in **Chapter 5 - Not So Great Detectives **

"Shoujo Fiction™ and the Shoujo Fiction™ logo are a Trademark of Douglas Helm and Will Wolfshohl. Copyrighted ©2002-2003, All Rights Reserved.


	5. Chapter 5 Not So Great Detectives

**Just a Little Time**  
By Douglas Helm and _"Tuxedo"_ Will Wolfshohl  
Continuing a Ranma ½ story kernel by Dark Oni

Those characters that are original and the story "_Just a Little Time_" are copyrighted ©2003-2004 ShoujoFiction dot com domain by Douglas Helm and Will Wolfshohl. Original kernel copyrighted ©1998 by Dark Oni.

This story and dozens of our other stories reside at **ShoujoFiction dot com** . Comments are welcomed.

**Chapter 5 - Not So Great Detectives**

**D**r. Tofu was standing at the door of his Nerima clinic seeing off one of his more elderly patients when a tiny blur in the shape of Nabiki Tendo crashed into him. The good doctor toppled to the floor with a thud. However, the juggernaut didn't stop; it continued on its course unabated. The sound coming out of the small figure might have been an apology, or just the sound barrier being broken.

"You okay, Doc?" came a familiar male voice. Tofu, who had become interested in a water stain he hadn't noticed before, remained lying on the floor.

"I think so, Ranma... What was that?"

"Looks like Nabiki has to use the bathroom," Ranma supplied.

"I thought that blur looked like little Miss Tendo," Tofu commented. Still on the floor, he turned his head slightly. "You know, that water stain on the ceiling resembles Kodachi." Ranma blinked and looked up at the mark on the ceiling. "But if you turn your head like so," the doctor demonstrated then continued, "It looks like Kasumi."

"Come on, Doc," the martial artist said and lifted the doctor off of the floor, "You sure you didn't hit your head when you fell?"

"No..." Tofu began.

"Whatcha looking at?" Nabiki asked as she skipped back into the room. "Sorry, Dr. Tofu, I really hada go." The last part was said in a whisper.

"That's all right, Nabiki," Tofu replied and patted her head reassuringly.

"Hey, Nabiki, the Doc thinks that stain up there looks like Kodachi," Ranma announced, pointing at the stain. Nabiki came over and looked way up towards the ceiling.

"I think it kinda looks like your daddy."

"There's a difference?" Ranma asked.

The little girl giggled then she put her hands on her hips and scolded, "Ranma, that ain't very nice."

"Yes," Tofu interrupted, finally turning his gaze to his two visitors. "You should show more respect for your father."

"I meant," Nabiki said emphatically, "That Kodachi's MUCH prettier."

"In a demented sorta way I suppose."

"What's d-dem-demented?" Nabiki asked in a puzzle tone. She hated not being able to understand everything as well as she used to.

Wanting to stop that line of conversation, Tofu asked, "What can I do for you two?"

"Oh yeah, Doc," Ranma piped up, "We were wondering if you had any stories about monsters?"

"Several as a matter of fact. Any particular one?"

"Turns people into little kids." Ranma continued answering the question the doctor was about to ask. "Nabiki's been wondering..." The little girl felt a little annoyed that Ranma was putting it all on her. Tofu looked puzzled.

"Ah, regression... Not that I... Well maybe. Why?"

"I saw it!" Nabiki burst out with earnestness. "It had long arm thingies 'n' wasn't there... sorta."

"Transparent," Ranma offered.

"Trans... What he said... 'N' it wiggled around 'n' got me 'n' Ranma 'n' Yuki 'n'..."

Tofu held his hand up. "Hold on, young lady," he interjected, "Come into the office." The pair followed him into an adjoining room and sat down where he showed them. "Okay, start at the beginning..."

"Nabiki's worried that there's a monster hanging out in the canal, Doc."

"Shhh!" Nabiki giggled, trying to look stern. "Akane might hear you." Then she turned to Dr. Tofu. "Akane says I'm makin' it up."

"Oh?" the young physician questioned, "Why?"

"Just 'cause," the youngster answered.

"Nabiki..." Ranma said with mild annoyance.

She rolled her eyes and added, "The monster got Ranma too."

"It did, did it?" Tofu asked.

"Yep!" Nabiki chirped. She jumped from her chair and ran from the room.

Puzzled, Ranma got up to follow her but Tofu gestured for him not to. "Ranma? Everything okay with her?"

"She's been a little cranky," the teen admitted. "I think her and Akane must've had a fight or something, Doc."

"Why?"

Ranma scratched his head for a moment then guessed, "'Cause Nabiki keeps saying Akane's going to be mad at her."

"Hmmm..."

An afterthought occurred to Ranma, "Say Doc?"

"Yes?"

"Have a look at her back when we get done with this monster thing. She keeps wanting somebody to scratch it. Akane can't see a rash or nothing." Tofu opened his mouth to reply but stopped when Nabiki came running back into the room. She had a glass of water in her hand.

"Jeez, Nabiki, you can't be thirsty already," Ranma chided. Nabiki, by way of answer, threw the remaining contents at Ranma. As the cold water contacted him, the change occurred. Instantly well-trained muscle disappeared, limbs shrunk, and torso and frame diminished by several degrees.

"See!" Nabiki pointed out triumphantly, "The monster got him!"

Ranma looked around in a confused sort of way and upon spotting Dr. Tofu, she shrieked shrilly, "**Me not want needle!**" cowering behind Nabiki.

The doctor just shook his head. There were many pitfalls in being general practitioner to Ranma Saotome.

# # # # #

Nine year old Usagi Tsukino, the mysterious sailor-suited warrior Sailor Moon to be, was in the park with her mother Ikuko. This particular day in the Azuba-Juuban District of the Minato Ward of Tokyo was fine and clear and, for once in the thirty-three year old mother of two's opinion, relatively peaceful.

"Mommy," Usagi observed as she stood on the middle rail of the metal fence surrounding the lake, "Lookie, that duck has glasses."

"Don't be silly, dear," Ikuko said disbelievingly.

The third-grader frowned. She leaned out to get a better look causing the navy blue skirt of her sailor-style elementary school uniform to ride up. The fowl was floating near the opposite shore of the lake. "It does, Mommy! Look!"

"Usagi," Ikuko snapped. She walked over to where her daughter was standing. "Get down off there before you fall in." Reluctantly, the little pigtailed blonde did so. "That's better. Now, Usagi, where is this duck?" The young girl pointed. The mother looked in the indicated direction. "I think someone's put a fake duck in the water."

"Oh..." The girl sounded crestfallen.

Ikuko grinned. Her daughter always had an active imagination. "Come on, Usagi," she prodded. The child hesitated. "Besides, I thought you liked bunnies better."

"I do, Mommy!" the tween assured her mother with excitement, showing off her ability to switch moods in a heartbeat. Neither saw the silent, transparent tentacle slip from the water's edge and rise towards them.

Whether by fate, by chance, or by the monster's design, it bypassed Usagi as she stepped away from the railing to watch some nearby birds. Instead, the appendage slowly encircled the mother's ankle tightening its hold. Neither mother nor daughter noticed anything out of the ordinary until it was too late.

Usagi, scared out of her daydreaming by her mother's high-pitched cry. Turning around, she stared in fascinated horror as her mother, now a beautiful coed, rapidly grew even younger. First, the legs shortened and then curves disappeared. In a matter of moments, Ikuko Tsukino had dropped from her lofty adult height to Usagi's level and then below that. Her clothing piled up on the ground below her. The nine year old looked about to see if anybody could help them but the park seemed to be oddly quiet; nothing stirred.

Ikuko Tsukino was too stunned to do anything. She watched silently as her arms shrank. Arms that swaddled two children, had hugged a husband this morning, became stubby and padded with leftover baby fat. Her fingers and toes shrank, matching the new limbs they were attached to. Her chest flattened as her stomach rounded a little. Her hips and buttocks became less trim as curves were lost or repositioned. Her hair, a long flowing black mane, shortened to suit its body's new, smaller, proportions.

The woman had regressed to a child of perhaps six although her awed offspring was having trouble telling. Neither party noticed the tentacle slip off young Ikuko's leg and retreat into the lake. A few seconds later, the adult clothing glowed for a moment shrinking to fit the new child's form then altering into a blue and white elementary school uniform similar to Usagi's even including a pair of black Mary Jane's.

"'Sagi?" Ikuko asked her now much bigger daughter.

"Come on," Usagi urged, "Time to go." The new child whipped around and surveyed the lake intently. "Don't be a brat, 'Kuko. I've gotta enough trouble. 'Sides, we girls gotta stick together 'cuz Shingo's enough of a pain in the butt."

"Don't talk to your mother like that, young lady!" Ikuko hissed sternly to her daughter before turning her attention back to the lake. She leaned through the gap the middle railing just below her shoulders and stared down at the tranquil water. Where had the creature gotten to?

"You ain't Mommy," Usagi declared. She sounded amused. Her little sister had quite the imagination. Still, she didn't have time for this. "Now come on, Ikuko."

Ikuko turned back to her daughter and stated, "**'SAGI! I AM YOUR MOMMY!**" She remembered Usagi being inside her tummy although the little brunette wasn't sure why she had gone in there in the first place. But Usagi wasn't so big then.

The nine year old gave her a long-suffering look and said in a firmer voice, "We don't got time to play, Sis. I gotta meet Naru." Not that she didn't love her sister but... 'Naru's got some really cool new CDs.' "So... COME ON!" She gestured with her arm and turned around.

"No!" the first-grader replied in a very defiant voice, "I'm stayin' here 'n' gettin' the monster!" Usagi stopped. Turning, she gave her sister an exasperated look. The former adult stood her ground and scowled at her daughter. The pigtailed blonde's resolve seemed to waver for a moment as she tried to figure out what to do next. Making her decision, she marched over to the smaller girl. The girl only had a few seconds to feel satisfied before her much stronger daughter took hold of her by the arm. Before she could protest this injustice, Usagi raised her other hand and brought the palm sharply down onto the six year old's bottom.

This move was so unexpected that at first, Ikuko simply blinked, standing stock still. Then as her brain registered what had happened, she became angry. How dare her baby hit her! "Now come on, young lady," Usagi commanded firmly.

"'Sagi! I'm tellin' your daddy!" Ikuko wailed. She wrenched her arm free and ran away from the big meanie.

"Ikuko! Wait!" Usagi yelled and rushed after her. 'Little sisters.' She sighed. At least, she didn't have to walk her brother Shingo home too. Still given the choice, she'd rather be hanging out with her best friend Naru, although that dweeb Umino might be around, and that was always bad.

# # # # #

After returning Ranma to normal and squelching the ensuing squabble, Dr. Tofu turned his thoughts to the question his visitors had posed. "There is a legend. It's very old," the young physician began as he lifted down first one and then another book from the large bookcase in his office. "I don't really recall the details though."

Nabiki stared grumpily at him. She gave a squeak of surprise as Ranma lifted her up and settled her onto his lap. "That's okay, Doc. Nab... We just wanna know if it's real or not."

Tofu gave him an odd look before turning his attention back to the book. "I think one of these had a picture of it."

"**WHAT?**" both of his visitors exclaimed.

"A rough one."

"Cool!" the little girl squeaked excitedly.

His first attempts to find it were fruitless and soon Nabiki grew restless. She wandered in and out of the office until the doctor, in desperation, gave her a coloring book and a can of crayons. The child promptly became engrossed in what she was coloring seemingly forgetting why they were there. Ranma was also becoming impatient but having seen Nabiki's behavior, he was determined to set a better example for the young girl.

"Ranma," Tofu remarked quietly and motioned the martial artist away from his charge. Puzzled, he got up from where he had been sitting and walked over to the corner where the doctor was standing. "Perhaps," he began softly, "You should take Nabiki home. We can always discuss this later... privately."

"Huh?"

The physician took a quick glance to make sure the youngster was still absorbed in her coloring before continuing, "I don't want to give her nightmares." He gave Ranma a weak smile. "I understand you're desperate to discover a cure to your unwanted transformation but you don't want to terrify little Nabiki."

"No way," Ranma said while shaking his head. Tofu gave him a relieved look. "But she wants everything to be normal too." The teen grinned. "Look, if you're worried about gory bits, just leave 'em out."

"But..."

Ranma's frown made the young doctor pause. "Nabiki wants me to find this as much as I wanna find it. We're partners." Tofu sighed. He had obviously told her all the details of his latest quest. "Like I said, Doc, I don't want the crap scared out of her either. I just wanna know if it's for real."

"Very well," Tofu agreed in a begrudging sort of voice and turned his attention back to the bookcase. Nabiki was blissfully unaware. She had her tongue sticking out of the corner of her mouth as she concentrated on coloring a large flower on the page bright green.

# # # # #

"FOUND IT!" Tofu announced. The doctor was standing amid a small pile of old texts. Nabiki looked up from her coloring while Ranma sat up looking expectant. "Let's see... It's been around for about a thousand years. Maybe more."

"Dr. Tofu, how much is a thousand?" the kindergartener wondered. "Is that more than a zillion?"

"Uh... no," Ranma said, trying not to appear shocked.

"If I may continue... It says that the creature hibernates..." He paused sensing the impending question. "Sleeps for long periods, waking up when it gets hungry."

The girl frowned slightly then questioned, "Hungry?"

"Yes, it sleeps a long time and then it wakes up and is hungry. Like you."

"Me?" Nabiki squeaked in surprise and pointed to herself.

Tofu nodded. "You go to bed and then eat breakfast because you're hungry, right?" The youngster nodded. "Well... It's the same thing but the monster sleeps much longer."

"Oh..." The five year old got a thoughtful expression on her face. "Maybe it can come to our house for supper 'stead of makin' people into little kids." Ranma, staring with disbelief at his young charge, wasn't sure whether to laugh or scream.

"And here's what it looks... Oh dear."

"What?" Nabiki and Ranma asked.

"That page is missing."

"No!" they both cried at once.

"I'm afraid so. This text is quite old and..."

"Now what?" Nabiki asked the pigtailed teen in a tone of voice that suggested that Ranma had been the one to take the page from the book.

"Now we give you an examination, young lady," Tofu replied.

"I don't think so, buster," the youngster countered, giving him her most authoritative look.

# # # # #

Ranma, still unsure if he wanted the lollipop Tofu had given him, left the clinic with Nabiki beside him. One hand was holding onto his hand swinging his arm back and forth while her other twirled her own lollipop around in her mouth.

"You were mean, Ranma," Nabiki pouted. She was still miffed that Dr. Tofu had found something medical to treat on her.

Ranma, completely ignoring the child's complaint, offered, "Well, we know it's been around for awhile."

"Huh?" the little girl questioned around her sweet.

"The creature," the teen repeated, "The Doc said it's been kicking around Japan for awhile now." Unfortunately, there had been nothing in the book about how to defeat it.

"Oh," Nabiki said after pulling the lollipop from her mouth, "Why'd you tell Dr. Tofu to look me over?" The martial artist gave her a puzzled look. "We could've just talked to him 'n' left."

"First, Akane might wanna know why we went there. Ain't like before with him and Kasumi." He gave her a tight smile before adding on a more serious note, "And besides, Nabsy, you kept wanting your back scratched."

"Rubbed!" Nabiki corrected with annoyance, "I like it."

"Oh... Sorry..."

"Ice cream. Now," Nabiki demanded.

"You ain't even done with that sucker the Doc gave you," the teen argued.

"Well, can I have yours?"

"No way," Ranma snapped possessively, "It's mine." The little girl giggled then inserted her lollipop back into her mouth. "Let's go have a look at where we got attacked, Nabiki."

"'Kay," the youngster mumbled around the sweet.

# # # # #

The day was pleasant and Nabiki was in a good mood. She skipped ahead a few yards before running back to walk with Ranma. At one point, the pigtailed martial artist had taken several steps before noticing that Nabiki was no longer with him. Looking about, he spotted the youngster with her face plastered to a store window.

"What is it?" he asked, coming to stand behind her.

"Puppies," the five year old breathed. He had a sinking feeling. "Ranma, can I have one? He could play with Mr. Saotome. Please?" she pleaded, turning hopeful eyes towards Ranma.

"Uh... You'll have to ask Mr. Tendo."

"Come on. If you get it, then Akane can be mad at you."

"I DON'T want Akane mad at me."

"Please?"

"No, Nabiki," Ranma replied. The little girl pouted. "But if we see the monster, you can take it home." Oddly enough, Nabiki brightened at this prospect.

# # # # #

Fortunately, or unfortunately depending on your point of view, the creature that had reduced Nabiki and her friends to childhood was nowhere around. Nabiki showed him, as best she could remember, where she had been when things had changed for her and her two friends. As will sometimes happen though, children's tales get embellished.

"Nabiki," Ranma interrupted with a mixture of amusement and exasperation. "If the thing was as big as you say it was..." He hadn't seen the creature but this was ridiculous.

"It was!" Nabiki assured him. "And it had all these wavy tentacle thingies 'n' stuff!" She gestured wildly in demonstration.

"Come on, Nabiki. It'd be bigger than the Tokyo Tower. Nobody would've missed it."

"It was magic!"

"Okay, okay," he said in conciliatory tone, "I believe you."

"Good," Nabiki stated. "Can I have a puppy now?"

"No!" The youngster pouted. "Let's look around for a bit."

"'Kay," she agreed and started looking around shading her eyes with her hand. Trying hard not to laugh, Ranma started scouting the area as well.

Visibly there wasn't anything unusual to see although he couldn't help but feel that something was amiss. It was hard to define. It wasn't evil or good; it simply existed. The teen martial artist shook his head after a few moments. 'It's nothing.' He was putting his hopes up for now.

"Well," Ranma announced, "Nothing."

"Didn't think so," Nabiki answered, looking disappointed. "There wasn't nothin' here when me and Maki and Yuriko came before."

"You and Maki and..." Ranma asked.

"Uh..." Nabiki backtracked, "I meant maybe we should see if Yuriko and Maki want ice cream too!" With that, she turned and raced off down the street. Ranma was momentarily stunned and then raced after the child.

# # # # #

"Good grief!" Akane grumbled as a haggard-looking Ranma nearly staggered into the living room carrying a sleeping Nabiki on his back. "What happened to you two? You look like you were out camping in the forest or something."

"Or something," Ranma chose. He sighed with relief as Akane removed the sleeping youngster. Nabiki stirred, yawned, looked, and blinked.

"Nabiki, go wash up for supper," her sister told her. Sleepily nodding, the girl headed off to the bathroom while Ranma sunk to the ground with a loud sigh. "So, what happened?" Akane wondered.

"Maki and Yuriko's parents decided that me taking their kids out for ice cream and to play was wonderful." The martial artist shook his head at the thought of keeping up with three five year old girls on sugar highs. "And to think I wanted kids of my own some day."

# # # # #

Ranma stopped in his telling of the story when all eyes in the room swung onto him. "Well, that was then," he explained defensively. "You know I'm very proud of you all."

"Except when we screw up," the second oldest grumbled.

"If you're going to cause mischief," Nabiki countered, "Be unique."

"You can go home now, Big Sis," Akane remarked jokingly.

"No thanks, Little Sister," Nabiki declined, "It's just getting good."

"Would you like anything to drink?" Soun asked. Of course, this required that he fill other orders too. Nabiki just grinned.

# # # # #

Ukyo Kounji stood back from the grill, sighed happily, and looked around her okonomiyaki restaurant. A smile graced the chef's lips. For once, she was happy to see no customers in her place. Carefully but quickly stowing her latest creation in a box, she hopped over the counter and began closing up for the day.

As she worked, Ukyo hummed to herself. She was going to visit Ranma tonight. He had seemed depressed the past few days and it was her duty as a fiancée, the real one that is, to cheer him up.

'Though if Nabiki was older...' she grinned, 'To think their fathers buy that line.' The fact that Akane was accepted, or appeared to accept, Nabiki being Ranma's fiancée gave Ukyo hope. 'After all, I'm a real woman and he won't have to wait.' Her thoughts continued into this vein. 'And I wouldn't make him look after Nabiki, even though she is a cute kid.' Of course, Ukyo thought Ranma's girl side was the cuteness personified.

'I'd make sure to feed him properly.' Her culinary creations always brought a smile to his face. 'Then again,' Ukyo mused, 'Any food seems to do that.' She giggled. Yes, her longtime friend had an appetite for almost anything edible. 'If he'd had eyes only for mine...' She sighed. 'They say the way to a man's heart is through his stomach.' And she cooked the best okonomiyaki in all of Nerima if not all Japan.

Within a few minutes, she had finished closing up. She picked up the specially prepared treat and headed off. The sun was settling into the west like a blazing ball of fire. The streets were growing dark as night began to fall.

The spatula-wielding chef walked through the narrow streets, weaving her way through the bustling crowd that had started to move about: people on their way to the movies, amusement parks, or other places that attracted young couples. This aroused fantasies about her and a certain handsome young martial artist.

'Oh that nice broad chest and strong arms...' Ukyo floated down the street, images of Ranma blurring out her surroundings. She giggled. 'We could snuggle together and then he'd kiss...'

# # # # #

Ranma paused in his story. The reason for the pause was that his wife had suddenly started emitting an intense battle aura.

"Heh..." the martial artist said nervously.

# # # # #

Ukyo was jolted abruptly from her thoughts as something snagged her foot. She stumbled, recovered quickly, and pivoted to see what it had been. She blinked. It was a long tentacle. With a rapidity that surprised her, the faintly glowing blue limb shot towards her. She dove out of its way. Then in one swift move, she placed Ranma's gift in a safe place while at the same time throwing several small spatulas at the attacker. Most, but not all, were batted from the air. However, a few reached their target. The sharp blades cut into the translucent limb causing it to ooze out a thick bluish goo.

For a moment, it pulled back and vanished through the chain-link fence that separated the alley from the canal. Ukyo moved forward slightly into a defensive stance getting more tiny spatulas at the ready.

"EEE!" she exclaimed as not one, not two, but four tentacles flew through the fence, ripping it apart like crepe paper. She flung another barrage of mini-spatulas and then drew forth her large battle spatula from across her back preparing for the worse.

The tentacles knocked all the mini-spatulas aside as if they were mere insects. While it was distracted fending them off, the teen seized her chance. She jumped upwards and swung her battle spatula's sharp edge decidedly down on three exposed tentacles, which were completely severed. Unfortunately, instead of bleeding, the severed ends exploded violently. The resulting concussion blew the martial artist chef up and backwards.

Landing on the ground about ten feet away with a crash, she scrambled dazedly to escape from the mass of tentacles that was rapidly descending upon her. However, her position was no longer as strong. She continued to slash; another tentacle was severed. It exploded with a hollow booming sound that made Ukyo's ears ring.

Then with a roar from beneath the peaceful water of the canal, something exploded upwards as tentacles seized the sixteen year old chef ripping her battle spatula away. She cried out reaching to retrieve her deadly kitchen utensil in a last desperate attempt to stave off the onslaught. Ukyo's cry died in her throat after she got a good look at the body that sported all those tentacles. Its cat-like eyes glowed bright green and its mouth spread into an evil toothy grin.

End of Chapter 5

Coming next in **Chapter 6 - Young Rivals**

"Shoujo Fiction™ and the Shoujo Fiction™ logo are a Trademark of Douglas Helm and Will Wolfshohl. Copyrighted ©2002-2003, All Rights Reserved.


	6. Chapter 6 Young Rivals

**Just a Little Time**  
By Douglas Helm and _"Tuxedo"_ Will Wolfshohl  
Continuing a Ranma ½ story kernel by Dark Oni

Those characters that are original and the story "_Just a Little Time_" are copyrighted ©2003-2004 ShoujoFiction dot com domain by Douglas Helm and Will Wolfshohl. Original kernel copyrighted ©1998 by Dark Oni.

This story and dozens of our other stories reside at **ShoujoFiction dot com** . Comments are welcomed.

**Chapter 6 - Young Rivals**

**U**kyo felt herself changing even as she fought against the monster's ever-tightening grip. 'Ranma-honey...' she thought, 'Where are you?' Her hands grew small, followed quickly by her arms, which shrank and took on the barest hint of baby fat. The girl's legs followed suit, contracting upwards. Hips and waist slimmed. Her flat tummy developed a bit of a bulge as the okonomiyaki chef aged ever younger. Her torso contracted, as did her head, as she descended backwards through puberty from teen to preteen and then into early childhood. Finally with a sickening jolt that made her insides shake, the attack stopped. Ukyo Kounji, now barely four years old, fell on the ground on her butt with a soft thud as the creature slid noiselessly back into the water. The child paused for a moment in shock staring down at her tiny body and her teenage clothing piled at her feet.

Ukyo's huge razor-edged combat spatula (abandoned by the creature a few feet away) rippled and shrank, mutating from the deadly metal weapon of a skilled martial artist to a harmless child's plastic toy. The little girl's clothing shifted to that of a pair of jeans overalls and a T-shirt. She didn't want to think what that bulge around her bottom was. Her hair was still held in a ponytail, which swung back and forth, as the new youngster looked around in a bewildered sort of way.

Pushing herself up to her feet, Ukyo bent down and grabbed the former battle spatula from the ground. Then she surveyed the area. She realized the creature had left; she was now alone. Her bottom lip started to tremble. 'Me little.' Wasn't she supposed to be a big girl? She remembered being one. Yet her surroundings begged to differ. Everything was so big and scary now that dusk was becoming twilight. That funny monster must've just sunk back into the water. Might it come back? She hoped not. She didn't want to be a baby.

"Ukyo!" a sudden voice called out. It sounded exasperated but also relieved. The toddler's relief at hearing the familiar voice was so strong that she sat down and started to cry. "It's okay," consoled the man who lifted her up and hugged her. "Off on another little adventure, are we?" It reminded him of himself when he was little.

Through her tears, Ukyo was able to make out the face of Ryouga Habiki. Sniffling, she declared, "Monster got me."

"There, there. It's gone now, Ukyo," Ryouga assured the little girl, "You made it go away."

Little Ukyo brightened at this. He was right. She was a brave girl. She fought the monster and made it go away. The tears slowed and then stopped with a rapidity that would have made one Usagi Tsukino proud. "I did!" she squealed lifting her plastic yellow weapon into the air in triumph.

"Yes, you did, my big girl," the usually lost boy affirmed. "Now it's time to go home." He just hoped he could find it.

The youngster frowned. 'He not my daddy.' "Me wanna see Ranma!" 'Ranma my boyfriend.'

"Tomorrow."

"Now!"

"Tomorrow, Ukyo. Right now, it's time for your bath and then bed."

"NOW!" Ukyo demanded fiercely.

"No," Ryouga said firmly but quietly.

"You mean. Me cry..."

"Go ahead." Ukyo did not cry. She pouted instead as Ryouga started back the way she had come earlier that evening. "You shouldn't run off like that, Ukyo," Ryouga lectured sternly, "I was worried about you." She didn't say anything. The cursed martial artist let his mind wander to the next day and what preparations he would have to make for the restaurant. Keeping it solvent and keeping an eye on a little girl was certainly a challenge. Nevertheless, he had promised Ukyo's father before he died that he'd keep it going and take care of his daughter until she was old enough to run it herself. It was her inheritance.

Another quandary for the young martial artist was his curse to turn into a small pig every time he got splashed with cold water. Why had he ever followed Ranma to that accursed spring? Still, he'd rather be a pig than Ranma's curse of becoming a little girl like Ukyo. Sure, Ranma was cute in that form but he knew how much his fellow martial artist's manhood suffered after returning to normal.

"Uncle Ryouga?" Ukyo sounded a little embarrassed.

"What?" he asked, half his mind still on the restaurant.

"I leaked." This was said in a very small whisper. The teen sighed internally and started walking faster. "Go that way!" she pointed when he made a wrong turn.

# # # # #

The next morning was partly cloudy although if the wind kept blowing the way it was, the clouds would likely be gone by mid-afternoon. Ranma sat at the breakfast table dressed in his typical red Chinese shirt and black pants. Nabiki had been dressed in a set of jeans and a green T-shirt. Akane was looking exceptional in a knee-length green skirt and yellow blouse. Ranma was having a hard time not gawking at her. She didn't seem as uncute as normal.

Noticing their fathers exchanging wary looks, he inquired, "Hey! What are you two up to?"

"Nothing, son," Soun replied, "Why?"

"You two haven't cooked up another crazy way to get me married to Akane."

Genma looked hopeful. "So you've c-changed your mind?"

"Huh?"

"Oh happy day... You've decided to marry Akane instead of Nabiki?" Soun asked, almost on the verge of tears. Nabiki was so startled she dropped her chopsticks. A few grains of rice fell out of her open mouth.

"Now, Daddy, we've talked about this before," Akane offered with a gleam in her eye, "You know that Ranma's betrothed to Nabiki." The youngster just stared at her older sister. She wasn't one hundred percent sure what that word meant. Ranma was also staring. "I wouldn't steal you from my own sister."

"You're kidding, aren't ya Akane?"

"Of course not," Akane said. "True, Nabiki's too young to marry you right now but it will just give you more time to get a dowry ready for when she's all grown-up."

"But..." Ranma began. 'Has she gone nuts?'

"Are you done, Nabiki?" The little girl didn't even hear the question. She was too busy grinning with delight. Had Akane really given up her claim?

"You have got to be joking!"

"Ranma, help me with the dishes please." With that, Akane grabbed the pigtailed martial artist roughly by the arm and pulled him from the room leaving the breakfast dishes on the table.

"Hey! Le'go!" He was wrong. She was just as uncute as ever.

"For goodness sakes, Ranma, will you keep your voice down!" the teenaged Tendo hissed. She let the boy go and glared at him. "What's the big idea bringing that up?"

"Huh?"

"Don't you '_huh_' me!" Akane lectured, "You know perfectly well we hooked you up with Nabiki so that our dads would quit bugging us about getting married every five minutes."

"We did?"

She scowled at him then gave him a concerned look. "Did I hit you too hard or something yesterday during practice?"

"No..." Ranma frowned slightly himself. "Come to think about it, Akane... You're not exactly up to par lately either."

"Ran-ma!" Akane huffed through gritted teeth while raising her fists.

"Even Nabiki said you weren't doing like you should be."

Akane sighed. "It's hard looking after her." She gave him a serious look. "Even with you around. And I have school and with Kasumi working..." She sighed again. "There's lots to do around the house. When do I have spare time to train like I used to?" She stepped closer making him feel nervous.

"A-an-anything else I can do?" he asked, anxious not to provoke his would-be fiancée. She could still pound him with her mallet quite easily from her position if her temper allowed.

"I wouldn't mind your cooking once in a while, Ranma."

He blinked then relaxed a little. "Sure." The pigtailed martial artist had to fight down the urge to insult Akane's food. Given that this Akane's wasn't so bad... His thoughts were derailed when she moved even closer and took on a nervous look.

"Um, Ranma... Did you..."

"What?" Ranma asked.

"Did you ever think about starting your own dojo? I know our dads have plans but..." Ranma gave a slightly nervous laugh. "Ranma, you know I'd be willing to..."

Exactly what the young brunette would be willing to do would never be found out for at that moment, Nabiki came skipping into the hallway calling Ranma's name.

# # # # #

"Can I get out now?" asked Nabiki Tendo. The little girl was kneeling on the hard wooden chair she had been sitting on for what seemed like forever.

"No, Nabiki," Akane replied trying not to regard her sister, "The timer hasn't gone off."

"You keep turning it off," Nabiki whined with some heat.

"That's because you keep talking," her sister argued. "Now turn around, young lady. We don't talk when we're sitting in the corner."

"**WE? I'M IN THE CORNER,**" Nabiki squawked, "**NOT YOU!**" Seeing she wasn't going to win this particular argument with her sister, she spun around and sat on the chair staring sulkily at the corner. 'Stupid Akane. I liked it better when she was little.' The five year old resisted the urge to pout for only a moment.

'Not my fault I had to go right after Mr. Saotome...' She had ran in and then out of the bathroom in about a heartbeat. 'You couldn't pay me enough...'

Akane, who was trying to ignore her little sister, sighed. 'Damn it!' she thought as she turned towards the beleaguered child, 'Ranma's supposed to be the pushover.' "I suppose that's enough, Nabiki," Akane conceded, "Put the chair away and then you can help me." The youngster was more than happy to comply and was soon standing beside her sister.

"Whatcha doin', Akane?" Nabiki wondered, and then as an afterthought, "Where's Ranma?" As if in answer, there was a loud splashing sound from the direction of the pond. "Never mind." The child grinned.

"Well," Akane remarked, "We're going to try and bake."

"Try?" the little girl asked, sounding dubious.

"Yes, I've never made a..."

Akane stopped speaking as a dripping wet, and very small, Ranma came speeding into the kitchen and giggling.

"Monster after me!" the little redhead giggled, hiding behind her best friend.

"Monster?" Nabiki asked; her heart started to beat faster. Was it back? Said monster turned out to be Genma who was looking both pained and frustrated.

"Come here!" Genma roared. Ranma gave a squeak of terrified delight and tore from the room, shooting between her father's legs and then down the hall. The middle-aged martial artist turned and was about to pursue his "son" when he was knocked off-balance by Nabiki. She had decided to give chase too.

Akane sighed before turning her attention back to the recipe.

A short time later, Nabiki was giggling with delight as well as she rose up and down rapidly. She was sitting crossed-legged on Ranma's (in boy form) back as the martial artist did pushups furiously. Genma sat moodily glaring at his son on the engawa. The sunlight glinted off of the pond in the background.

"Faster!" Nabiki shouted, "Faster!"

"Nabiki! He's not a horse!" Genma shouted, finally losing patience. Ranma stopped his pushup suddenly, so suddenly in fact that Nabiki lost her balance. With a yelp of surprise, she made a wild grab for handholds and nearly pulled the teen's ears off.

Glaring at the sometimes panda, the youngster tumbled from Ranma's back. No sooner had she slipped from his back than the pigtailed martial artist leaped at his father and another battle was joined.

This particular round didn't last long. It resulted in Genma being punted headlong into the wall of the dojo, his massive panda form slumping to the ground.

"Got him!" Nabiki cheered happily. Before her champion could respond, there was a knock at the door. "I'll get it!" she squeaked and raced off down the hallway.

"Hey!" Ranma shouted, "Don't open that without somebody around!"

# # # # #

Ukyo tugged unhappily at the very pink and very frilly dress she was wearing. It had white trimming which had pictures of blue butterflies on it. She had struggled mightily against wearing the sickening thing in spite of the flood of tears, Ryouga had somehow gotten it on her. The martial artist had also cautioned her against getting it dirty.

Ryouga, holding Ukyo, cocked his head as he listened to the sound of rapidly approaching footsteps. A few seconds later, the door opened to reveal a happy looking little brunette.

"Hi there." Catching sight of his rival, he frowned slightly and declared, "Ranma Saotome... I see you're a man... for once." His adversary glowered at him and then noticed whom he was carrying. Someone he hadn't seen in over ten years.

"Who's that?" Nabiki demanded of Ryouga while pointing at the child he was holding. "Your sister?" She didn't think he had one but with Ryouga, it was hard to tell.

"RANMA!" the little girl cried out happily. She squirmed from Ryouga's arms ran over and hugged Ranma's legs.

"That's rude!" the youngest Tendo huffed in an admonishing tone. The younger girl turned her head and stuck her tongue out at Nabiki.

Ranma for his part lifted the little girl up and stared at her for a moment before breaking into a smile. "Ukyo, boy I haven't seen..." He caught himself just in time. 'Jeez, you look like when I first met you. Though that dress...' The now much smaller Ukyo grinned delightedly up at Ranma and hugged him.

"Ukyo?" the five year old squawked in surprise, "No way!" Before either teenager could respond, a new person arrived on the scene.

"Is that Ukyo?" Ryouga's head turned and he felt himself grinning as Akane emerged into view. "Hi Ryouga," she greeted him. "Oh my, you're such a sweetheart in that dress!" Nabiki made gagging noises.

"H-Hi Akane," he responded in a dreamy voice.

"Oh, I haven't seen you in ages!" Akane cooed. She took little Ukyo from Ranma and gave her a large hug. "How's are things going?"

"Ucchan's busy. We just dropped by for a visit."

"Good," the middle Tendo daughter said, "I have some old things of Nabiki's Ukyo might like."

"**Don't give Ukyo my stuff!**" Nabiki sputtered with indignation.

"Give Auntie Akane a big hug."

'She'll make a great mom,' Ryouga thought, wishing Akane to sweep him up in her arms too. He was brought sharply back to reality when Ukyo, who was looking quite put out by Akane's attentions, smacked the girl sharply on the head with her toy battle spatula.

"Eya!" Akane shouted and dropped the little girl who was immediately saved from a long fall by Ranma. Having gotten what she wanted, the little girl flung her arms around Ranma and snuggled against him. Nabiki was glowering at the little intruder, so was Ryouga although their reasons were completely different.

"That was not nice," the sometimes-pig stated sternly.

"Oh, it's all right," Akane remarked, waving her hand dismissively. "I should've seen that coming." She shrugged. "Well, guys, you got here at a good time - lunch is almost ready." Her smile made Ryouga's frown vanish in an instant. "Want to help me?"

"O-okay..." he agreed sounding nervous. Ranma, had he had heard any of this, might have had something to say. As it was, he was too fascinated in Ukyo's new size.

# # # # #

Nabiki followed Ranma back out to the engawa where he sat down. Ukyo, smiling, settled onto his lap.

"Um... Ukyo," Ranma began, "What happened?"

"Wha?" the youngster asked.

"Yeah, like what happened?"

"Nuffen."

"Nothing?" Nabiki demanded, "You're small." 'Even smaller than me.'

"Nuh huh. I four," Ukyo corrected, holding up seven fingers. That's what she was told. 'But I big girl 'fore...' Although even that was fuzzy. Her small forehead furrowed as Nabiki moved to sit on Ranma's lap as well. "Ranma mine!" She knew that with every fiber of her being, even if she didn't really understand why.

"No, he's not," Nabiki argued.

"Nabiki, be nice to Ukyo." The five year old glowered. "She is our guest."

"'Kay..."

"'Kay..." Ukyo mimicked. 'She not Nabiki.' "Let's play, Ranma."

"Tell us what happened first," Ranma prodded.

"Did the monster get ya?"

"Huh?"

"Did," Nabiki said slowly and in a louder voice, "The monster," she screwed up her face into a fake monster scowl. Ranma tried hard not to snicker, "Get you!" She poked the younger girl with her finger.

"NO!" was the four year old's reply before smacking Nabiki on the head with her toy battle spatula. This new girl was scary.

"Oow!" Nabiki yelped, tears coming into her eyes.

"That wasn't very nice, Ukyo," the teen chided. "Say you're sorry." The child gave a grunt. He moved the four year old to one side so he could give the Tendo girl a comforting hug. "You okay, Nabsy?"

"Yes."

"Let's play," Ukyo interjected, tugging his shirt.

"What would you like to play, Ukyo?" Ranma asked. The little girl looked puzzled. "What about '_grownup_'?"

"No..." the child said seriously. That suggestion didn't sound fun at all. She never had any fun when she was big. Ranma gave Nabiki a look but she didn't notice. She was glaring at Ukyo with an intensity that made Ranma nervous.

"Tag!" Ukyo declared and tapping Ranma on the nose leapt out into the yard.

Suddenly the five year old called, "Change Ranma."

"No way," the pigtailed boy answered.

"Come on, PLEASE..."

"No!"

"Come play, Nabiki!" the young girl requested.

"Okay..." Nabiki agreed and then thought, 'I'll get you back.'

# # # # #

Ranma, thanks to his recent experience with Nabiki, knew better than to use his size advantage to always avoid the two children. He also didn't use it to catch them either. It wounded his pride to some degree and the pigtailed teen was very glad that Ryouga couldn't see it. The fact that "_Pig-boy_" was in the kitchen with Akane upset and distracted Ranma.

This nearly cost him a dunking in the pond thanks to an observant Nabiki. Ukyo came to his aid first though and the five year old's plan was thwarted. Not being overly happy with Ukyo to begin with, Nabiki preformed a very passable leg sweep, which caused the younger girl to land soundly on her diaper-clad bottom.

"Nabiki!" Ranma exclaimed after getting over the shock. Nabiki, in any form, should not have been able to do that to Ukyo who was an experienced martial artist in her own right. He lifted the fallen four year old up and asked, "You okay?"

"Nabiki mean," Ukyo grumbled. 'She just like big one.'

"Looks like NABIKI'S going to have a timeout."

"Not gonna happen!" Nabiki said defiantly.

Much to Ukyo's disappointment, the teenaged martial artist put the child down and turned to his attention to the youngest Tendo. "We don't use martial arts against weaker people. Didn't I learn you nothing?"

"Genma does!"

Ranma frowned then ordered, "Go on up to the engawa, and sit on there for... five minutes."

"Na-bi-ki's in tru-uble!" Ukyo sang. Said child glared.

"Go on," Ranma urged sternly.

Angrily, Nabiki stalked off but did not sit down where she had been told; instead, she entered the house looking savage.

# # # # #

Nabiki was, to put it simply, jealous. The fact that it was over Ranma confused her. Since it felt rather normal though, the youngster didn't question it. Ranma was falling under Ukyo's spell. It was bad enough that Ukyo caused Ranma trouble when she was big. Now, that she was little, she wasn't going to stand for it, hence the glass of water.

Her plan might have worked had Ukyo not seen it. "What you doin'?"

"Ranma's gonna change."

"Nabiki," Ranma snapped, eying the water, "I said no." He walked over to the child and added, "And I told you to sit on the chair for a timeout."

"I want her to see how you change."

"Later," he said, "Lunch has to be ready soon." Then thought, 'And I already got dunked for the day.' He saw Nabiki's move coming and managed to dodge the water. Moving quicker than she did, he lifted her up and marched over to the engawa. "You stay right here, young lady," he told her firmly, "You are supposed to be having a timeout." The five year old scowled. "I am not going to change either."

"But..."

"No buts, Nabiki," Ranma countered, bending down to look at her right in the eye, "If you try to splash me again, I'm gonna put you over my knee and spank you."

"Oh yeah?" Nabiki taunted. "You wouldn't have the guts."

"Nabiki, you're a big girl. Now if you sit quietly until I say times up, I might take you and Ukyo for ice cream after lunch."

"You be good, Nabiki!" Ukyo declared sharply pointing at her. The older child stuck her tongue out.

# # # # #

"That's not much of a threat, Daddy," Ranma's middle daughter commented.

"About the timeout?"

"No, spanking," the youngster corrected, "Compared to Mom, you're pretty wimpy." Ranma's eyebrows rose as the others nodded their agreement.

"Wimpy?" The pigtailed martial artist was indignant.

"Well... yeah." Ranma glowered around the table before picking up the story.

# # # # #

Nabiki had never given up on anything in her life. She wasn't about to give up on this either. She wasn't sure if Ukyo was the teenage Ukyo turned small, or simply another little girl also named Ukyo who loved Ranma. In either instance, she was a rival, only for different reasons. She wanted to see Ukyo's reaction.

Despite Ranma's warning, which the youngster didn't put much stock in, she went and got two glasses of water claiming that one of them was for Ukyo. Akane smiled at her and told her that lunch would be ready in fifteen minutes. Nabiki was proud that she could still understand how long fifteen minutes was. To her stomach though, it was forever.

'So is Ryouga looking after Ukyo?' The little girl frowned. 'If Mr. Saotome left her by herself, I'll stick a bear trap in his boxers.' Her frown deepened as she heard giggling. Coming onto the engawa, she nearly dropped the cups of water. Ukyo was riding around atop Ranma's shoulders.

Trying to put her happiest face on, Nabiki walked out into the yard and announced, "I gots drinks." Ranma stopped. "Ukyo, wanna drink?"

"Yea!" Ukyo cheered and after he let her down, came over and took the cup from Nabiki. "Thanks!"

"Hey Nabsy! Where's mine?" Ranma asked. The five year old shrugged before pretending to drink.

"I gots a secret from Akane."

"What?" Ranma asked.

"Not gonna tell."

"Tell me!" Ukyo whined.

"You'll tell Ranma," Nabiki countered.

"No I won't, promise!"

"Promise?"

"Promise," Ukyo said, crossing her heart.

"Okay..." Nabiki conceded and gave the child the message that Akane had given her.

"Yeah!" the younger girl declared happily, she was hungry too.

"What is it, Ukyo?"

"Not gonna tell."

"Come on, Nabiki. Tell me, please?"

"No."

"Pretty please?"

The youngster seemed to give the request serious thought. She tapped her lip and frowned, shifting her head to peer at Ranma from different angles. "Is it okay, Ukyo?"

"Yep!"

"Well... okay then," the youngest Tendo conceded, "Come here." She motioned him closer curling her index finger. The pigtailed martial artist came closer, bending down. Nabiki cupped her hand to her mouth and whispered Akane's message into Ranma's ear. With her other hand, she took her full cup of water and tossed it at Ranma with the desired result.

"He's not big!" Ukyo squealed, eyes bulging. 'He's supposed to be big girl.'

"The monster got him," Nabiki replied, ignoring the fuming Ranma.

"**THAT'S NOT NICE!**" the now small female Ranma griped.

"His clothes all big now," Ukyo observed.

"Yeah, even his undies don't fit," the youngster offered before lifting up Ranma's shirt to show a bare backside.

"HEY!" Ranma squeaked and pushing her shirt down ran towards the house. "**AKANE! Nabiki's bein' mean!**"

The four year old former chef looked unsure whether she should be upset or not. When she saw the older girl's grin, she smiled too and not long after that, both were laughing.

"So," Nabiki asked once they had calmed, "The monster got you?"

"What monster?" Ukyo asked. With a sigh of resignation, Nabiki slapped her forehead. Little Ukyo decided now would be the perfect time to ditch the dress. The five year old watched as the younger girl squirmed from the dress before flinging it on the ground.

"My bummy not bare!" Ukyo remarked while turning around to show Nabiki. Nabiki noted the picture of a yellow duckling. "Training pants?" She shivered slightly at the thought, very glad she was five.

"Diaper," Ukyo corrected.

"No, they're training pants."

"Not diaper?" She wasn't so sure now.

Nabiki considered and then said, "Better diaper." Ukyo grinned at the thought.

"**NABIKI TENDO!**" came the thunderous, and decidedly male, voice of Ranma. The youngster squeaked and tried to hide behind Ukyo.

"Young lady!" That was Ryouga's voice. "What did you do with your dress?"

"Me not wear stupid dress!" the four year old boldly stated.

# # # # #

The only thing that saved Nabiki was lunch. Ranma decided that being fed took precedence over following through on his threat to spank Nabiki. Ukyo wasn't so lucky.

# # # # #

"Typical," Ranma's second oldest commented. His wife had the nerve to giggle.

# # # # #

Ryouga shook his head. "Ranma, you have a beautiful young woman under your roof and the best you can do by way of a future wife is a kid barely out of diapers. That is no way for a true martial artist to behave."

"Diaper not bad," Ukyo mumbled around her food and hoped that she'd remember to go to the bathroom when she needed to. Having to be changed, especially with Ranma around, would be mortifying. She unconsciously tugged at her dress, wishing she could wear jeans like Nabiki.

"At least I'm not a pork-butt like you," Ranma retorted, stole the food that Genma had taken back, gave Nabiki some more rice, and continued eating.

"Are you saying I'm not beautiful?" Akane demanded.

"How dare you insult Akane, Ranma Saotome..."

The pigtailed martial artist blinked, regarded Akane, and said, "Of course, you are. You're cute and stuff." He blinked again, this time in surprise. The brunette took on a stunned expression. Ryouga looked upset but refrained from punching his rival. Genma and Soun, always attuned to possible wedding bells looked ready to break into raucous celebration.

That's when Nabiki spoke up, "**Ranma's ****MY**** boyfriend!**"

"**IS NOT!**" Ukyo shouted back, "He's mine."

Ryouga howled in mirth. That's when the fight broke out between the two young rivals. Soun grabbed both children who rushed to join and fled the room. Genma, always keen to see his son prove himself, unwisely got in the way, and was laid out cold by a blow from Ryouga.

Akane chased both of them out of the house, shouting invectives that were quite colorful. Nabiki, when she heard them, turned to her father, and demanded, "Where's the soap?"

Ukyo had a more urgent question. "Where potty?"

Soun, as if on cue, cried.

# # # # #

Akane looked up at the sound of little feet running. Moments later, Nabiki came into the kitchen, ran around the island counter, and hid herself behind Akane. "What's wrong, Nabiki?"

"Uh... Ranma is mad."

The elder Tendo daughter sighed a little. Ranma's mood had grown steadily darker since lunch. The fact that he had changed another four times had a significant part to do with it. The fact that Ukyo accidentally piddled on Ranma undoing one of them was little consolation.

"Well," Akane offered, "Maybe we can cheer him up."

"How?" Nabiki asked sounding anxious.

"We could go to the Cat Café for supper."

"Really?"

Akane thought and then nodded, "Yes... Now go tell Ranma."

"No way!"

"Okay then, I'll go. You go wash those hands, and your face." Nabiki nodded but didn't move from her hiding position behind her sister. Ranma was really upset.

# # # # #

To say that Shampoo was ecstatic about Ranma showing up at the Cat Café would have been understating it. Upon seeing him, she moved forward and preformed her standard class two glomp. The Amazon with her vibrant hair color and sometimes-violent temper was more than a little disappointed when Ranma didn't even react.

"Hello Shampoo," Akane greeted. Shampoo grinned but didn't release her hold on Ranma.

"Akane hug Ranma too," Shampoo offered.

"That would make Nabiki jealous."

She jumped away from Ranma as if he'd become too hot when she spotted Nabiki. A happy Nabiki meant a happy Ranma, which translated into very nice experiences for Shampoo. Nabiki was such a contrast to Akane. Akane knew what was at stake.

"Wait second, Shampoo get future husband best table." With that, she bounded over to some diners that were just finishing their meals and suggested they leave. The customers didn't take long to get the hint, paid their bill, and left quickly.

"Ah, Son-in-law."

"Ghoul," Ranma grumbled. Then he perked up. "Say, do you know anything about monsters?"

"Kuno's a good example."

"Happosai's an even better example," Akane offered with a grin. Nabiki giggled.

"Shampoo get drinks."

"NO!" Ranma squawked looking as if he'd just been threatened with a live cat. Shampoo blinked.

"Ranma... had a bad day," Nabiki interjected, trying her hardest to look innocent. Given Ranma's mood, he might follow up on his threat.

"Oh poor Ranma," the busty girl soothed moving closer. "Shampoo make better..."

Akane blocked her. She shoved Ranma into a chair and helped Nabiki into another one with a booster seat. "We'll take some refreshments, and a menu please."

The Chinese Amazon grinned, winked at Nabiki, and then dashed away, tripping Mousse in the process who was proclaiming his undying love for Shampoo to the cash register.

"What type of monsters, Son-in-law?" Cologne asked.

"Ones that can make you young." Cologne cackled. "What's so funny, old ghoul."

"My my, Ranma, if you want me younger so I can be your girlfriend, I think I can arrange that." Both Tendos and Saotome looked ill.

"Great-Grandmother no tease Ranma," Shampoo sniped. She plopped a menu down in front of Akane and then started serving drinks. Ranma eyed her nervously, downed the contents in one swallow, and started choking.

"Want 'nother?" The pigtailed martial artist tried to answer but Shampoo was already heading for the kitchen.

"Shampoo-dear, get Ranma another."

"I've heard stories," Cologne mused when he was done with his choking fit. "I've even seen it a couple of times. Turned several of our best warriors into little girls."

"Were you a victim?"

Cologne cackled, "Heavens no. It didn't think I was tasty enough back then."

"What?" Akane asked.

"It loves battle auras, the stronger the better."

"You must've been young..." Ranma mused.

Before the ancient Amazon could remark, the younger Tendo interjected, "What's it look like, Great-grandma Cologne?" She completely forgot that she had her glass tipped. A little soda dripped out of it and splatter onto her T-shirt. Akane took the glass and made a dab at the stain but the little girl was too interested to let her get very far.

"Well..." The ancient Amazon shot Ranma a wary look and elaborated, "Cat head." The sometimes-female martial artist froze, a pained look coming across his face. "And tentacles."

"It exists?"

"Well... it used to," Cologne replied, "The women of my village destroyed the thing ages ago."

"Destroyed it?"

"Yes," Cologne then added to herself, 'As far as we know.' She had been set other duties, something that still galled her occasionally. Besides, there were only the victim's words of being regressed part. No one else remembered that aspect, only battling a fierce creature.

"You're fibbing!"

"Nabiki, don't be rude."

At this point, the ditzy girl turned up with some food. The meal went smoothly at first. It started to wrong when Shampoo offered to feed her fiancé seconds, cuddling right up onto his lap to do it. Ranma, thinking over what Cologne had said, wasn't paying much attention. Nabiki, tiny battle aura flaring, decided to cool things off.

"GET A ROOM!" she shouted. Not really knowing why and flung the remaining contents of her glass at the pair. Both were startled and instantly transformed. Ranma into a tiny redhead. Her arms and legs shrinking and vanishing inside the overly large shirt. Shampoo assumed her feline form. Nabiki gulped. She had forgotten that Shampoo would go cat. This was not good.

The five year old's fear was abruptly changed to surprise as the new little girl shouted, "**KITTY!**"

Shampoo, having heard this ominous declaration before, took off in a streak of fur. "**SHAMPOO-KITTY, COME BACK! I WANNA PET YOU!**" the diminutive redhead shouted and hopping from her chair, tore off after Shampoo who was running for her life.

End of Chapter 7

Coming next in **Chapter 8 - Little Helpers**

"Shoujo Fiction™ and the Shoujo Fiction™ logo are a Trademark of Douglas Helm and Will Wolfshohl. Copyrighted ©2002-2003, All Rights Reserved.


	7. Chapter 7 And Now There Are Two

**Just a Little Time**  
By Douglas Helm and _"Tuxedo"_ Will Wolfshohl  
Continuing a Ranma ½ story kernel by Dark Oni

Those characters that are original and the story "_Just a Little Time_" are copyrighted ©2003-2004 ShoujoFiction dot com domain by Douglas Helm and Will Wolfshohl. Original kernel copyrighted ©1998 by Dark Oni.

This story and dozens of our other stories reside at **ShoujoFiction dot com** . Comments are welcomed.

**Chapter 7 - And Now There Are Two**

**N**abiki Tendo watched the kitchen door of the Cat Café with wariness. Her big sister had instructed her with some authority not to move from her chair. Ranma was being changed and by the sounds emanating from the kitchen, none involved were happy about it.

Just when the youngster started to feel antsy, the kitchen door slammed open. She jumped at the noise and then stared wide-eyed at a very upset looking Ranma in his boy form. He re-entered the dining area of the restaurant.

"**Nabiki Tendo!**" the still damp martial artist nearly shouted, "**You've just earned yourself the spanking of a lifetime!**" The five year old just sat stunned as he advanced on her. Then she started franticly waving her hands.

"**You're my boyfriend!**" Nabiki protested. He didn't stop. "**NO! It ain't fair!**" she shouted after Ranma lifted her from the chair.

"Yep," Ranma told himself, "I should've done this before."

"You haven't finished eatin'!"

"It can wait," he replied and made for the door, cargo in tow. The realization that Ranma was actually serious finally sunk in. Nabiki started to squirm in an effort to get away but the pigtailed martial artist had her securely in hand. Tears came next. He paid them no heed. In just a few bounds, the pair was atop the Cat Café.

"Now let's see..." Ranma looked around the roof for a convenient seat.

"I'll be good!" Nabiki wailed from under his arm, "Promise!"

"Uh-huh," was the only reply. Tiny fists beat against him as he marched over to a square ventilation duct, which rose about two feet above the roof's surface, and sat down.

It took Nabiki a few moments to realize she was standing on her feet, even though Ranma still had a hold of her arm. "**NA-BI-KI! What were you trying to do?**" he thundered. The youngster went silent and stared up at him. He dug in his pocket and brought out a clean Kleenex. "Here," he offered while holding it to her nose, "Blow." She did so puzzled by Ranma's behavior. "Now," he began in a firm but quiet tone, "Nabiki, you wanna go back to being normal, don'tcha?"

"Huh?"

"Being a big girl again," Ranma clarified. The five year old nodded. "Well, if you keep changing me all the time, I can't get us back. It already got us 'n' Maki 'n' Yuriko AND Ukyo. Who'll be next?" Nabiki hiccupped before sniffling. She rubbed at her eyes and gave him a sad look. "I still need your help. The Old Ghoul says it's gone but we know that it's still around."

"Yeah... but whatcha gonna do?" the kindergartener questioned.

"WE'RE gonna find it and beat it. Then make it change everyone back." He gave her a serious look. "I can't DO that if I'm LITTLE!"

"Oh... Sorry, Ranma." Nabiki stuck her index finger into her mouth and looked sheepishly at the ground. She hadn't considered that. It seemed so obvious. Twisting her foot, she glanced up at Ranma and softly asked, "Ya gonna spank me?" She was really a big girl (and big girls don't get spanked) but she sure didn't feel like one.

He grinned slightly and patted her gently on the head. "Between you and me, no. But Akane was about to come down on you like a mallet to my head. Had to do something fast. Besides, we needed to talk." He then added, "But if Akane asks..."

"Got it!" Nabiki chirped and gave him a thumbs-up. She hated fibbing to her sister. However, in this case... Walking forward, she wrapped her arms about his middle and hugged him. 'I got to quit acting like a baby or he'll never stay my fian... boyfriend.' "I'll try to be good. T'anks."

"Hope so," Ranma commented, "Being this responsible is tough. Besides, things are already screwy enough." She grinned as he hugged her back.

# # # # #

"Aw jeez!" his middle daughter cut across the story, "That's like so... mushy!" She gave her father a disgusted look. "Dad, you completely wimped out!"

Ranma pushed himself up from the table with deliberate slowness and walked to where his daughter was sitting. She looked up at him nervously. Without changing expression, Ranma bent down and swung her over his shoulder before standing upright.

"I'll... be right back," he announced. He then turned left the room.

His sister-in-law grinned. "I think," she interjected, "I can pick up where he left off at."

# # # # #

The weather had turned chilly by three the next afternoon. Kasumi hunched against the raw biting wind. She was feeling a tad resentful towards Akane. It was her one day off a week and here she was out in weather that felt like mid-winter all because her little schoolgirl sister couldn't be bothered to go to the market.

'How hard can high school be?' Kasumi seethed. 'Here I slave to bring money into the house and she's having a great time decorating the school gym for some stupid dance.' She sighed and pushed some hair out of her face. 'If Dr. Tofu didn't have eyes for that pork ass Kodachi...' What a coup that would be. 'Or even Kuno... He's a little young but just to get me away from the house! But no, I'm the responsible one.' She trudged on fantasizing of a tropical island paradise where muscular young men dressed only in Speedos worshiped her as a goddess. Where a phalanx of Ranmas dressed in red and gold togas kept bothersome little intruders like her sisters and their fathers away.

The nineteen year old maiden was so deep in her thoughts as she walked along the canal that she did not see the rising bubbles, the tentacle pop out of the water, or it edging its way toward her. It slipped onto her ankle, seeming to reel out like a fishing line as she walked. The blue aura about it intensified and Kasumi Tendo began to grow younger.

# # # # #

Nabiki Tendo and her two friends walked out of their kindergarten classroom at the end of the day. Nabiki sniffled a little before rubbing her nose with the sleeve of her uniform. She looked around hoping that Ranma or Akane was already there.

"Looks like we gotta wait," Yuriko remarked, "Is Ranma getting us?" She didn't need Nanami showing up.

"Hope so, Yuri," Nabiki replied as they walked towards the entrance.

"Why?"

The five year old glanced about and then said, "'Cause we wanted to tell you guys something but couldn't with Akane around this morning."

"Like what, Nabiki?" Maki asked.

"Well... it'll help us get home 'n' stuff."

"Really?" squeaked the other youngster, "Thank God. That'd be great!" She was getting extremely sick of her overbearing big sister. 'Just wait, Nanami until I'm big...'

"Well yeah..." the littlest Tendo remarked, "See, we went to Shampoo's for supper." The other two girls exchanged nervous looks. "'N' Granny Cologne told us 'bout it."

"Really? What did she say?"

"Ranma can tell it better than me," Nabiki answered then frowned. "He was kinda ticked off last night too."

"Whatcha do now, Nabiki?" Maki asked. Her friend looked indignant. Her friend was always causing problems whether big or little.

"You didn't get inta trouble, did ya?" Yuriko chimed in, her eyes widening.

"Sorta," their friend admitted, a sheepish grin coming onto her face. Seeing their expressions, she decided to tell them what had happened. By the time it was finished, Yuriko appeared shocked while Maki appeared disbelieving.

"Jeez, I didn't think Saotome was that stupid."

"Huh?" Nabiki hissed, "Ranma ain't stupid."

"Nabiki," Maki countered, "He spanked you. He's gotta know that when you get big again, you're going to make him pay for that."

Nabiki felt a little guilty now. "Well... maybe he didn't."

Both her friends look puzzled before demanding, "WHAT?"

"Shhhh..." the youngster admonished while blushing slightly. "Look," she began gesturing them closer then whispered, "Ranma 'n' me just talked is all. He DID tell me off but good."

"So he _didn't_ spank you?" Maki sounded relieved.

"No, he didn't but we're _sayin'_ he did."

"Why?" Yuriko asked.

"'Cuz Akane would know he let me off and she'd be really ticked at Ranma and then Ranma wouldn't wanna help us!" Nabiki grimaced internally at her next thought, 'Not to mention I'd get a spanking for real from him!'

"I guess you're right, Nabiki," Maki conceded.

"Sorry I fibbed, guys," Nabiki apologized. "Swear you won't tell Akane?" Her two friends seemed to consider this for a moment and then nodded. They then hugged each other in a quick group hug. "You're the bestest."

"So what're we s'pposed to do until we get big again?" Yuriko wondered.

"Just have as much fun as possible and keep out of trouble," Nabiki recommended. 'Ranma's right. If I don't watch it, Akane's going to come down on me like a ton of bricks. Then Akane'll spank me!' And that would be humiliating.

"Hey guys!" came a new and familiar voice approaching the trio. She smiled. "What's up?"

"Nothing," Nabiki said and rubbed her nose again.

"I hope you aren't catching anything," Ranma commented.

"Did you hear about the monster?" Maki asked him. The pigtailed martial artist looked between the three little girls and then nodded. "So when are you gonna kick its sorry ass?" Nabiki broke into a fit of giggles. Yuriko just looked shocked.

"You shouldn't swear, Maki," Ranma admonished.

"Yeah-yeah, Saotome, now spill it." 'Jeez, who made you my daddy?'

"Pushy, ain't she?" Ranma asked his young charge.

"Uh..." was Nabiki's only remark.

"Well come on, and I'll tell ya on the way home."

# # # # #

Kasumi Tendo stared down at herself in disbelief. She couldn't bring herself to believe that something extraordinary had happened to her. Yet her own eyes told her it was true. 'Only nice things happen to me!' she told herself, 'Ranma and Akane are s'pposed to have the funny things happen to them.'

One minute, the coed was on her way to do the family's weekly marketing; the next minute, she was a child again, and wearing an elementary school sailor uniform to boot. 'Daddy wouldn't like that something weird happened to me.' Fear started to grip her. Weird things usually meant weird people, and if they had done this to her, maybe they'd do more to her or her family. Fear oozed into her.

"Are you okay, child?" a concerned grandmotherly voice asked.

With a little squeak of terror, Kasumi fled down the street towards her home. One part of her concentrated on running, then on easing up after what was turning out to be a longer distance than she remembered. The other part marveled at how large everything looked.

Soon the Tendo Dojo came into view. The newly formed little girl let out a cry of relief and shouted, "DADDY!"

She slowed some as she reached the front door. Her father would protect her. He always had. Soun would make sure that everything got put back to normal. He was the bravest and best martial artist in all Japan!

Kicking off her shoes in a most unlady-like fashion, Kasumi ran through the house. "Daddy! **DADDY!**"

"I'm in here, Kasumi-honey. I was starting to worry," her father's voice brought her to the family room. She felt tremendous relief upon seeing him sitting there with Mr. Saotome playing shogi. He looked normal. He regarded her. "What is it, sweetheart?" Before his daughter could answer, he smiled and supplied one, "You must have done really well on that test. Can I see it?"

"Test?" Kasumi squeaked, caught completely flatfooted.

"At school, Kasumi," Soun continued, "It was today, wasn't it?" At least, he thought it was today. "Or did you do something else special today?" The young girl just stared at him at disbelief.

"Tendo," Genma piped up, for once not in his panda form, "Let the poor girl speak."

"Look at me, Daddy!" Kasumi finally managed to say, "What do you see?"

"A nice young lady," Soun replied and then glancing at the clock, "Kasumi, you should hurry up and change. Ranma's already waiting in the dojo."

'Ranma!' She couldn't figure out why her father wasn't reacting to her regression. Perhaps, that was part of the weirdness, which should have left her alone. 'Ranma will know how to handle it.' He'd make her father see reason and then her father would set things right. "Where's Akane?"

"The kitchen of course."

"Kitchen?" A muscle in Kasumi's eye twitched. "Why...?"

"She's making supper, of course," Soun responded. "Did something happen, Ka..."

"Making supper?" Kasumi squeaked before he could finish. "Akane cook?" She loved her little sister dearly but Akane couldn't even boil water right.

Soun frowned slightly and said matter-of-factly, "Kasumi, your sister's a very good cook. You know that." 'Almost as good as her dear mother. She'll make Ranma a fine wife.' He cleared his throat. "Now go and change into your gi. You're already late for class."

"Late...?"

"Yes, l-a-t-e. Ranma will throw a fit if he thinks I'm playing favorites with you again." With that, Soun took his daughter's shoulders and spun her about before giving her a gentle push in the direction of the door. "Ranma's already got the class going in the dojo."

'Better do what Daddy wants.' Still very perplexed, the child left the living room and headed for her own room. 'I really don't want to see my kitchen,' she thought gloomily after a crash resounded from the kitchen followed by a familiar bellow from Akane.

# # # # #

Kasumi stopped in the doorway of her family dojo and stared about the large room. There were perhaps a dozen children there being led by Ranma, all dressed as she was in a white gi. She recognized a couple of them as neighborhood children barely out of kindergarten.

Most of the class appeared younger than she was now but size was no assurance. She guessed her own age to be about eight years old after seeing them and getting a quick look in the mirror at herself a few minutes before while changing into her gi. It had been laid out for her and surprisingly fit her new size.

"Hi there," came a familiar voice. Kasumi's eyes moved upward to find Ranma grinning at her. "We're about halfway through warm-ups." There was a collective groan from the assembled class. "I think there's a place in the back."

Kasumi blinked, opened her mouth to ask what he was doing, and then closed it again. The much larger sixteen year old pigtailed martial artist had already turned his attention back to the class who was already starting to fidget. The now little girl wanted to talk to Ranma, to go and ask her father what all these kids were doing in the dojo, but it was no use. Ranma was giving her an odd look as she continued to stand there. Also, her father had been firm that she should go to the dojo. Sighing internally, she padded to the rear rank of the group, bowed, and took up her position.

# # # # #

Kasumi found that she actually enjoyed the class. It had been many years since she last practiced "_The Art_". It was nice to watch Ranma's form although her mind kept commenting that her father was certainly more skilled. She also kept surprising herself. The little girl would be partway through doing some element before suddenly realizing that she shouldn't really know how to do it. What made it even more eerie was that fact that her classmates kept giving her startled looks if she faltered in the slightest.

"Okay, class," Ranma announced, "I think that's about it for today." He grinned at them with his hands on his hips looking rather satisfied. "Walk around a bit to loosen up. I see your parents hovering outside." Everyone bowed then started to mill about.

'Now's my chance,' Kasumi decided. However as she started weaving her way towards Ranma, she noticed that the dojo was not really emptying. 'What?' She felt some annoyance rise up in her. 'What's going on?' As Kasumi watched, she saw that while the younger students were filing out, a number of older children were filing in. Half she put around her new age but the rest were older, the oldest perhaps twelve. Again, she recognized a couple of them as children she knew vaguely from the area.

'Crap!' Kasumi thought as Ranma vanished through the sliding doors. His body stooped as if being tugged by an unseen hand. 'I'll just have to catch him later.'

"Kasumi." That was the voice of her father. "Come on up here."

"Okay," she replied and made her way towards where her father was standing.

"We can't have the next heir to the _Tendo School of Anything-Goes Martial Arts_ hiding in the back." The child's stomach gave a lurch and her mouth hung open. "Come on, Kasumi, we need to get warmed up... although with you doing Ranma's class too, you should be fairly limber." He grinned evilly. "Maybe I should let you teach us today."

"Dad-dy!" Kasumi squeaked in embarrassed panic.

# # # # #

Kasumi reentered the house feeling both tired and happy. She was also feeling very hungry. "Kasumi?" Akane's voice called her.

"Yes!" she called back.

"Come and eat. You can take your bath when you're done."

'Maybe Ranma got rid of it,' Kasumi hoped. She wasn't sure her little tummy could stand up to the onslaught especially when she hadn't been there to help her former little sister cook. 'She's sounds happy... Maybe Ranma's dead.' Akane's cooking certainly explained Nabiki's absence. 'She's probably eating over at Ukyo's.' Sighing, she made her way into the living room where she found a single place set at a low table. Akane wearing an apron was sitting opposite holding a cup of tea. 'Oh man, she looks tired!'

"Have a good workout?"

Again, Kasumi was startled by the fact that even though she was small, others acted as if it was nothing out of the ordinary. She eyed the food suspiciously as she sat down. 'Looks okay.' She sniffed it. 'Smell's okay.'

"Jeez, Kasumi, it ain't poisoned or anything," Akane said in mock exasperation.

"Did Ranma make it?" 'He had to have... or maybe Daddy did.'

"Of course not, Kasumi. I made it." 'As if Ranma could actually cook.'

"And it was dang good!" Kasumi turned around to see Ranma entering the room. A little girl who she recognized from her first class in the dojo was slung over his shoulder in a fireman's carry.

"Ran-ma!" the little girl giggled, "Put me down!"

"I thought you wanted a shoulder ride," Ranma said in an innocent tone.

"Not like this!" the girl giggled again.

"Then like this?" Ranma questioned and with hand movements nearly too fast to follow had the girl straddled atop his shoulders.

"Yeah!"

"Honestly, you two," Akane huffed though she smiled at the pair then turned back to her other sister. "Are you feeling okay, Kasumi?"

"Yeah," she answered, sitting down. Meanwhile, Ranma lowered down the girl. Kasumi regarded the much younger girl who appeared to be about five years old curiously. She got an odd feeling as if somehow she should know this girl. Ranma certainly knew her. 'Who the heck is this kid?'

"Hey Akane, is there any more?"

"No," Akane said with an exasperated look, "I had to fight you and your father for enough to feed Kasumi."

At the table across from her sister, Nabiki saw a girl not much older than her who she recognized from her earlier martial arts class. 'I bet her mommy hasn't picked her up yet.' The girl looked familiar like she should know her though. 'Nice of Akane to feed her too while she's waiting for her.' Nabiki looked about for her lump of an older sister. "Where's Kasumi?" She usually was back from work by this time.

"Right there," Akane declared with a grin, "Is this some type of new game, Nabiki?" She then told Kasumi, "Eat up."

"Nabiki?" Kasumi questioned in a perplexed tone. The girl did resemble her little sister when she was that age. 'Could it be?'

"I'll eat your dessert!" Nabiki volunteered.

"No, young lady," Akane disagreed, "You didn't finish your dinner." The child pouted. "Well," the teen said pushing herself up, "I'm going to wash the dishes. Kasumi, you can do those when you're done." Sudden recognition popped on the Nabiki's face.

"I'll help you, Akane," Ranma offered as Akane started to leave the room. He joined her and both left.

Left alone for a few moments, both regressed siblings stared at each other for a moment then exclaimed, "What happened to you?" Before either could answer, Soun and Genma came into the room. Nabiki looked annoyed but added, "Don't worry, Kasumi. Akane made that but it's pretty good." Finally, hunger won out over caution and much to Kasumi's surprise, not only was it edible, but it was very, very good.

# # # # #

Later that evening, Kasumi Tendo found herself in the furo. Its much larger expanse was filled with warm water that cast a misty sheen over the room.

"Now, Nabiki," Akane began while leading Nabiki by the hand over to the furo, "You climb in there for a little bit. And I want you to mind Kasumi."

"'Kay," the five year old replied, her skin pink from scrubbing.

"I'll look after her... Promise," eight year old Kasumi assured her older sister who grinned, gave Nabiki another warning look, and then left the room. As soon as the teen was out of the room, she turned to her little sister and asked, "You're taking this pretty good, Nabiki."

"Huh?" Nabiki asked with a puzzled tone in her voice.

"You're letting Akane boss you around," the former eldest sister observed. "That's not like you..." She gave the little girl a stern look. "Unless it's part of some trick to make money."

The youngster's eyes grew wide and she stared at the older child in amazement. "Kasumi... You hafta be really careful when Akane is 'round."

"Why?"

"Just 'cause."

"I'm still her older sister even if I look like this," Kasumi explained. "Akane will just have to remember that." If anything, Nabiki's eyes grew wider. "So tell me what happened 'fore she comes back."

"Well..." Nabiki paused while she settled herself better. With her chin just above the water, she blurted out, "Me 'n' Maki 'n' Yuriko got attacked by that monster. They're all little too."

"Yuriko AND Maki?"

"Yeah, didn't you see Maki in the class with us?" Kasumi shook her head. "Well, she was with me and..." she trailed off.

"What?" the eight year old prompted when Nabiki fell silent.

"Um... Daddy's running classes again. Kinda surprised me 'n' Ranma." The little girl grinned. "Maki was even more surprised when her mommy dragged her here. Ranma loved it." 'I never knew he was such a good teacher.'

"And you?"

"Me?" Nabiki made a sour face. "I like just working out with him 'n' stuff. It's fun."

"You know," Kasumi remarked changing the subject, "Daddy says I'm heir to the Tendo School."

"**WHAT?**" Nabiki shouted, standing up and glaring at her sister. The older child was startled by this reaction. "You can't be! Ranma's MY fia-fi... boyfriend!"

"Ain't Akane...?" Kasumi started but the look her sister was giving her made her stop. "Well, that's what he said."

"Hmmm..." Nabiki scowled, "Well, you ARE older." She didn't look happy about that. She slipped back down in the furo. "Doesn't mean Daddy wants you to marry Ranma or nothing."

"I hope not!" Kasumi exclaimed. She wanted to say he was too young for her but that didn't feel right.

"Good!" Nabiki flopped back down, causing waves. No way was she giving him up.

"Nabiki!" Kasumi scolded.

"Oh grow up!" Nabiki complained then giggled at her remark. Kasumi giggled too. "Anyways, Ranma gots attacked too. We had a heck of a time. He goes really little. Littler than me!"

"You're making that up!"

"Am not," Nabiki assured her older sister.

"He looks the same. By the sound of it, he eats the same too." The younger girl glared at her. "Well IF he is little..." Kasumi didn't believe her little sister for a minute. "Then he can learn proper manners."

The five year old just shook her head. "Look Ranma's nice when he's little. She's really cute and fun." After a moment, she continued, "So we were at Shampoo's place 'n' the old bat..."

"Granny Cologne."

"Yeah, the old bat," Nabiki corrected, "She got talking about the monster. Ranma guesses that she knows more but..." The child shrugged.

"Why not just have Daddy go after it?"

"Kasumi, Kasumi, Kasumi," Nabiki began in a pitying voice, "Daddy doesn't know nothing 'bout it. He thinks I'm pretending."

"Well," Kasumi said loftily, "I'll just go tell him it's true." Her father would believe her. He always had.

"Oh please!" Nabiki scoffed.

"Nabiki! Be more respectful of your father."

"The only way that Daddy could kill off the monster would be to cry at it," the five year old ridiculed.

With a battle cry that would have made Soun weep with joy, Kasumi lunged towards her little sister who squeaked in panic and tried to get away.

End of Chapter 8

Coming next in **Chapter 9 - Moment in the Sun**

"Shoujo Fiction™ and the Shoujo Fiction™ logo are a Trademark of Douglas Helm and Will Wolfshohl. Copyrighted ©2002-2003, All Rights Reserved.


	8. Chapter 8 Little Helpers

**Just a Little Time**  
By Douglas Helm and _"Tuxedo"_ Will Wolfshohl  
Continuing a Ranma ½ story kernel by Dark Oni

Those characters that are original and the story "_Just a Little Time_" are copyrighted ©2003-2004 ShoujoFiction dot com domain by Douglas Helm and Will Wolfshohl. Original kernel copyrighted ©1998 by Dark Oni.

This story and dozens of our other stories reside at **ShoujoFiction dot com** . Comments are welcomed.

**Chapter 8 - Little Helpers**

"**W**hy do I gotta go to bed?" demanded Kasumi as she and Nabiki, each dressed in their pajamas, were herded up the stairs. And another strange thing, 'Why ain't Nabiki complaining about it too?' "I'm the oldest!"

"Because it was a little too noisy in there," Akane countered then reasoned, "Besides, Kasumi, you had a tough workout today. You must be tired."

"Akane-dear," the former eldest sister began in her nicest voice attempting to sound mature, "It's too early for me to go to bed." A nearby clock on the wall reading just after seven o'clock confirmed that. Couldn't her sister see that?

"Com'on, 'Sumi!" Nabiki prodded, tugging at her sister's wrist, "I wanna story!" She yawned. Besides, going to bed sounded like a pretty good idea just about now.

Kasumi opened her mouth to protest but then saw the look on Akane's face. The look wasn't scary, or even angry or annoyed. It was just a certain look their mother had given them on occasion when they were little. The little girl suddenly knew that she wasn't going to win this fight and further, her earlier foray had proven that going to her father wouldn't help matters.

Nabiki, who by now had given up on her sister, skipped ahead. She'd just have to talk to Kasumi in the morning. She was ready to turn the corner towards her bedroom when Akane remarked, "And you aren't sleeping in my room tonight, Nabiki."

"Huh?" the kindergartener questioned while looking over her shoulder. She had no intention of sleeping in Akane's bed tonight. She wasn't sure she could survive it considering her sister's infamous temper.

"Com'on," the older Tendo interjected. Moving past the eight year old, she opened the door to Kasumi's bedroom and waited.

"I get to stay in Kasumi's room?" The little girl's eyes lit up with excitement. It would be like when they were really little. Kasumi would protect her and Akane from all the scary things that went bump in the night. Now that she had her boyfriend around, she wouldn't need that protection but it would be fun to pretend for a night.

"It's your room too," Akane declared matter-of-factly. Little kids were hard to fathom sometimes. She threw a baleful look towards Kasumi who sniffed. Nabiki for her part rushed inside.

"Cool!" Nabiki squeaked. 'That's even better.' "But where's the bed?"

Akane just rolled her eyes. "Come on, girls, we need to get you settled." She wished their mother were still alive to handle them. Unfortunately, she had died when Nabiki was barely a toddler so it was left to Akane as eldest to raise her two baby sisters. Neither girl even remembered their sainted mother Akane sometimes lamented.

Kasumi's world was turned upside-down when she observed the room. It didn't look anything like her old room. Gone were her adult trappings such as the jewelry box and bedroom furniture left to her by her mother. Instead, there were a few toys and assorted dolls scattered about. Her lovely bed was gone replaced by two single futons lying side-by-side. "Where's my bed?" she squawked.

"Yeah!" Nabiki agreed, "I wanna jump on it." She hadn't dared jumped on "_the lump's_" bed the previous day. She gave the futon a try and sighed dramatically. "These don't work."

'Jeez, not you too.' "Girls," Akane began with mild exasperation, "Enough of your silliness. I said you and Nabiki are going to bed. Now get under those covers right now or there won't be any bedtime story tonight."

The youngest Tendo gave a squeak of dismay and rushed over to her sister. The story was one of the best things about being little in her ever so humble opinion. "Move it!" she commanded while pushing Kasumi in the back. The bigger child just stood her ground.

"Stop that, Nabiki."

"I wanna story!"

"You'll get one," Akane promised, "Now climb into bed, young lady." The five year old only hesitated for a moment before choosing the futon she figured was hers, i.e. it looked much cuter. The sheets had puppy dogs on it. "You too, Kasumi."

"I..." Kasumi drew herself up to her full, if now diminutive, height, "**WANT... MY... ROOM!**" 'I'm the oldest!' She wasn't about to be ordered to bed by her baby sister despite being smaller than her... _temporarily_.

The teen crossed her arms and answered just as firmly, "No."

'That look again.' Kasumi deflated. It had been worth a try. Muttering under her breath, she walked over to her futon and slipped under the covers. 'After she leaves, I'll talk to Nabiki.' She regarded her younger sister. She was hugging a stuffed animal in a fashion that just did not fit with her image of what her mercenary sister should be like.

# # # # #

Ranma Saotome sank up to his chin as he settled into the hot waters of the furo. He had retreated into the bath. Handling Nabiki as a child was one thing; handling Kasumi AND Nabiki was definitely beyond him.

Nevertheless, the pigtailed martial artist had only been mildly surprised by the elder sister's transformation. If it had occurred before Ukyo's, he might have been more startled. If the truth be told, Ranma was actually somewhat relieved. Nabiki now had somebody else in the house near her age whom she could play with. 'Where do they get all that energy?' That left Ranma free to think about getting all of them back to normal.

'Akane can sure cook but... I miss the old Akane.' This Akane was showing him a very definite, non-uncute side and it was doing strange things to him. It was also reminding him of what his Akane was like and apparently what she could be. 'Damn!' he thought, 'Who's gonna be next?' He could think of a number of people he'd like it to happen to. 'But not Akane!' Somehow, he had to beat that thing before that could happen.

He sighed and placed a damp washcloth on his head. 'But how did Kasumi keep from becoming littler?' Certainly, the trend appeared to suggest Kasumi should have ended up younger than Ukyo. Somehow, she managed to remain the oldest of all those attacked. That was a question that he would have to raise with Cologne, when he got the chance.

'We better get back to normal before one of them gets into trouble or else knowing my luck, I'll be stuck punishing them!' That was hardly something a true martial artist would do.

# # # # #

Nabiki paused in the telling of the story as Ranma returned. Her niece padded behind him looking sheepish. The younger girls giggled which caused their older sister to blush.

"You can pick up the tale, Ranma... if you want."

"Huh?"

"I just got to the part where Kasumi got changed."

Ranma blinked, looked puzzled for a moment, and then grinned. "Oh, okay... _Nabsy_." She grinned at the old nickname while he settled himself and thought for a moment, "So anyway..."

# # # # #

The lights were off in the bedroom of Kasumi and Nabiki Tendo leaving only the diffuse light of the city coming through the window. Nabiki was just starting to slip into warm fuzziness when her sister poked her in the side rather hard.

"Hey! Stop that!" she complained, glaring at her sister in the darkness.

"Shhh..." the eight year old warned.

"Then don't poke me! Jeez!" Nabiki complained before yawning.

"Why are you being so cutesy?" Her only response was silence. "Nabiki?"

"Wha?" came the sleepy voice.

"Why are you letting Akane tell you what to do?"

The kindergartner sat up then replied in a tone of voice that you might use to explain something to an overanxious toddler, "'Cause it's fun, 'Sumi!" After a heartbeat, she added, "And I like stories."

"But there has to be bad stuff."

"Well duh!" the little girl replied, "Of course, there is. I don't like corner time or no dessert or gettin' spanked or..."

"Spanked?" Kasumi squeaked.

"Yes," Nabiki blushed then quickly amended, "Only once though." She was determined to avoid earning any others.

'Akane spank Nabiki?' That was crazy. "Gosh, Nabiki, you're older than she is!"

The little girl heaved an exasperated sigh. "Look, Kasumi, Akane thinks I'm five. Daddy thinks so too. Everybody does 'cept Yuri 'n' Maki 'n' Ranma." Ukyo was a lost cause. Nabiki paused for a moment remembering what Ranma had said atop the Cat Café. "'N' I've been a little... naughty 'n' even Ranma says that if I don't be good, I'm gonna get it!"

"Oh my. So Akane thinks I'm really eight?" Kasumi sounded unhappy at this. Yet, everything she had experienced since she came back from the market supported it.

"Yeah," her sister confirmed. "'Night night." With that, she flopped back down and wiggled into a comfortable position.

"But Da-Father will change us back." He had to.

Trying to suppress the urge to yell, the little brunette pointed out, "Daddy thinks we're kids!"

"But... but what are we gonna do?" Kasumi demanded. By way of an answer, Nabiki got up, marched across the floor, and pushed the door open wide. "Nabiki, where are you going?"

"Ta get Akane," Nabiki said in a very grumpy voice.

"Why?"

Smacking her forehead with the palm of her hand, she answered, "'Cause, Sis, you won't shut up!"

# # # # #

Kasumi woke up the next morning with a knee digging into her stomach. That knee belonged to her younger sister, who mumbled something unintelligible as Kasumi pushed her away. Nabiki yawned and then curled into a tight ball beneath the covers.

'It's not a dream.' The older girl felt unhappy as she considered her situation. 'I'll just have to show them that I'm older.' Nabiki was right - body size didn't prove a thing. She got up and softly padded to the bathroom deep in thought. 'I know!' she suddenly thought halfway through her business, 'I'll cook breakfast!'

# # # # #

Akane Tendo's eyes opened slowly. She blinked a few times to clear the sleep from them. Gray dawn light was poking through the partially open curtain on her bedroom window. With practiced ease, she turned and switched her alarm clock off before it could ring. Rolling back, the sixteen year old sat up and stretched before swinging her feet out. The air was not cold, something for which she was thankful.

She smiled as her eyes rested on something she loved. "'Morning, Ranma-honey." She reached out and patted her favorite teddy bear on the head. It was dark chocolate in color with a red ribbon around its furry neck. Ranma had made it for her from one of the kits you could buy. Akane had promptly tied a ribbon around its neck and named it for her fiancé. The red ribbon assured that they would stay together forever, or so legend stated.

Staying together forever with Ranma Saotome was a very pleasant thought to teen. As she got up and prepared for the day, her mind considered what it would be like waking up next to the real Ranma two years hence when they were happily married. That naturally led to things that made her blush.

Finished dressing, the eldest Tendo sister left her room and padded down the hallway to where her little sisters slept. 'Now where did Kasumi go?' She grinned slightly. 'Hope she plans on staying up.' Nabiki had laid claim to both futons along with the pillows and blankets. 'She's so cute like that! I almost hate to wake her up.'

Turning, she glided gracefully down the hallway pausing long enough to peek in on her future husband. She was surprised to find him asleep in his cursed form. This puzzled her and she chewed on that thought all the way downstairs.

When Akane reached the bottom of the stairs, she stopped dead and listened. There were noises coming from the kitchen. 'Uh oh, I think I found Kasumi!' She sighed a little. 'At least Nabiki isn't in there with her.' Nabiki liked to "_cook_" with pizzazz. Therefore, she wasn't too surprised to see Kasumi when she entered the kitchen.

Her heart started to sink though at the sight before her. Apparently, the little girl had decided to go all out. 'She must've decided to take lessons from Nabiki.' "Kasumi?" Akane asked softly. The child yelped in surprise and then with an even louder yelp vanished behind the island as the stepstool she'd been standing on vanished beneath her. Akane couldn't see the landing but she certainly heard it.

"Are you okay, Kasumi?" she asked while moving quickly around the island so she could observe the damage.

"Yes," Kasumi said, sounding rather disgruntled.

"What are you doing?" The older girl helped her sister up.

"Making breakfast."

Akane considered what she was going to say as she surveyed her sister's handy work. "Kasumi, why didn't you wait for me?"

The child gave her sister a look that was hard to read before saying, "'Cuz I always make breakfast, Akane." Didn't she?

"Umm..." the older Tendo replied while trying to figure out what some of the items were supposed to be. 'Well, I suppose Father'll eat it because Kasumi made it. Mr. Saotome will eat practically anything... Ranma-honey's gonna be the tough one. He's pickier than Nabiki.' She peered at the contents of the rice cooker. 'Maybe'll I'll wait until they go off to school.' That would make her late though.

"You aren't gonna cook too, are you?" she hoped. Yesterday had to be a fluke. Kasumi was eyeing Akane suspiciously.

"Of course, Kasumi," her teenage sister stated. 'What a silly question.'

"That's bad..." the little brown-haired girl commented, her eyes went wide, and she put both her hands over her mouth.

Rather puzzled, and a little hurt by this, Akane donned her apron and tried to figure out a way to salvage the food without hurting her little sister's feelings. 'She just tries too hard,' Akane mused, 'I should get Nabiki involved. She'll make a good cook one day.' Kasumi was the heir to the Tendo Dojo, which meant a lot of training and little time to teach in the kitchen.

# # # # #

Nabiki seemed to have a case of the giggles; had had them since breakfast. Kasumi wasn't really sure why. She had watched Akane dress Nabiki without protest in an overly cute kindergarten uniform while she was putting on hers. The eight year old was not very keen on the entire school thing. She had done her time. She'd told all involved that it would be very boring and she had important things to do around the house. This hadn't stopped Akane from dividing her sister's long brown hair into two pigtails and tying a powder blue ribbon around each. Nabiki though seemed eager to go and liked the idea Kasumi would be joining her.

Soon, Akane dressed in her Furinkan High School uniform and Ranma in his normal Chinese motif led the pair of little girls on their way. The group found Maki waiting for them as usual and her eyes went wide upon seeing a pigtailed Kasumi approach in an elementary school uniform. Before she could question it though, Nabiki grabbed her and started nattering about the night before, conveniently falling a few yards behind.

"Why can't I stay at home?" she asked Akane who was giving Ranma a look that seemed misplaced on her baby sister.

"What's wrong, Kasumi? You usually like school." Akane wondered, "Has somebody been teasing you?"

"I haven't..."

"Akane?" Nabiki interrupted.

"What?"

"Did you make my lunch?" She hadn't dared open her bento box to check.

"Yes," Akane replied.

"Good!" the youngster replied while giving Kasumi a look she usually reserved for Akane's cooking.

Kasumi sighed. 'This is not going to be a fun day.' It was not, as she was about to find out, going to be a boring day either. Third grade turned out to be a lot more challenging than she remembered...

# # # # #

The middle Tendo daughter was in the schoolyard wondering where to go. The place appeared more or less as she remembered but it had been years since she had last been here. She considered sneaking away. It was then three other girls her new age showed up. The trio immediately launched into a conversation with Kasumi as if it were the natural thing to do.

"Are you ready for the test, 'Sumi?" one of them asked another girl.

"Test?" Kasumi squeaked.

"Math," was the response after a moment in which the others gave her a strange look. "It's first thing today."

"I need to go home," Kasumi stated seriously. One of the others smiled.

"Don't worry, 'Sumi. You can keep me company," one of the others consoled.

"Huh?"

"I didn't study either," the girl replied and gave her a quick hug. "We can take our lumps together." This was hardly reassuring to the pigtailed Kasumi. Unfortunately, she didn't have much of a choice in the matter. She was practically dragged inside the classroom by her "_friends_" before she could think of another excuse.

'What am I panicking about?' Kasumi thought, 'I can do this stuff! I graduated high school for goodness sake.' And she could. The multiplication test turned out not to be difficult, although she did find herself puzzling over a few of the answers.

The rest of the morning subjects were not as easy. She found that there were gaps in what she thought she should know. It didn't help that her mind kept wanting to wander away during the more boring bits.

It was very distressing to Kasumi to be sent out into the corridor by her teacher for not paying attention in class. It was even more embarrassing when a class of kindergartners, including Nabiki and her friends, walked by. Most of them giggled which just made Kasumi's ears go red.

Lunch was not very satisfying even though Akane had packed a nice bento for her. Kasumi really did not want to be there. She felt grumpy. She really didn't feel right joining the others' conversations. She pondered wandering over to the kindergarten area to join her little sister but dismissed it.

The third grade classroom where she and her friends were "_sentenced_" was boisterous, i.e. their teacher had yet to return from lunch. Once she returned, the first subject of the afternoon was music, which ended up being a complete disaster; the others weren't much better. It was with some trepidation then that Kasumi set off with her classmates for PE.

# # # # #

Kasumi walked out of the elementary school building about three that afternoon with a look of determination on her face. She ignored her sister and her friends chattering. At the gate, she tapped her foot impatiently as the group waited for Ranma to appear.

Despite her best efforts, Kasumi couldn't help but hear the young girl's conversation. "I just can't believe I added that wrong." Nabiki sounded a little embarrassed. "It was funny though."

"Yeah, Nabiki, you're pretty good with money 'n' stuff," Yuriko commented, "But that was funny."

'Money...' Kasumi worried for a moment and then a new thought popped into her head. She flinched and turned around to confront her sister. "Nabiki, you ain't gonna..." The five year old gave her a confused look.

"Gonna what, 'Sumi?"

"Gonna tattle 'bout you seeing me in the hall?"

"I ain't gonna tell, Kasumi," Nabiki said earnestly.

"You sure?"

"I ain't gonna tell. Promise..." the girl repeated then made an X over her heart with her right hand. "That'd be naughty."

Kasumi sighed internally satisfied. As the three little girls continued their conversation about their day, she renewed her pacing occasionally pausing to look down the street. 'Where is he?' Finally, Kasumi couldn't stand waiting any longer. She wanted to return to normal. True, she had liked school when she really was little. However, she certainly did not want to live through it again for the next ten years! "I'm going home, Nabiki," she announced suddenly. "You coming?"

"Are you nuts, 'Sumi?" her sister squeaked, "I'm stayin' right here." There was no reason to piss off Ranma.

"Yeah," Maki and Yuriko added in agreement, "Us too!" Their mothers wouldn't take kindly to them heading off on their own, as they found out clearly the day of their attack.

"It's perfectly safe, girls. I'll be with you."

"Nope," Nabiki said while shaking her head.

"Don't tell me you're scared, NABSY."

'Being scared don't got nothing to do with it,' Nabiki thought while shaking her head again. 'It's my tush on the line!' Given how strong Ranma, not to mention Akane, was, she'd likely be standing up for a solid week if she invoked their wrath.

"Fine," Kasumi snapped and started home alone. She wanted to go back to being the oldest, to running the household. She looked back over her shoulder at Nabiki. The little girl was looking more and more like a lost cause to the normally eldest Tendo sister.

'It's Ranma's fault. He's the one taking his sweet time getting here.' Kasumi frowned. Of course, this wasn't Ranma's only procrastination in her opinion. 'If Akane was stuck as a kid, he would've worked it out by now.' She was back to her original solution. 'Daddy's got to fix this.'

# # # # #

"Da-Father."

Soun Tendo looked up from the shogi board across from Genma. He found his eight year old daughter standing before him still wearing her school uniform. "Did you have a good day at school?" he asked while smiling at her. Not seeing his other daughter, he added, "Where's Nabiki?"

Kasumi shrugged and said again, "I wanna talk to you."

"Okay, Kasumi-honey," Soun agreed, "What is it?"

Kasumi shot Genma a calculating look and then shrugged. "There's a monster in town."

"A monster?" Soun questioned. "Like the one Nabiki saw?"

His middle daughter gave him an exasperated look. "Maybe. I'm not sure what it really looks like, Daddy, 'cuz I only saw long glowing arm thingies."

Genma interjected, "Glowing arms, you say?"

"Yes, Mr. Saotome."

Soun held his chin in his hand pondering. Before, he had discounted the stories of monsters as his youngest daughter's fantasies. She had quite the imagination but Kasumi, on the other hand, was a practical child, not prone to make up such things. He decided to find out more. "Is it attacking anybody?"

The eight year old looked exasperated. "Does it matter?"

"This is Nerima, Tendo," Genma pointed out, "They should put a weirdness forecast on the TV like they do for the weather."

"That's a good idea!" Soun said in a very serious voice.

"**DA-DDY!**" Kasumi squawked and stamped her foot, "Please go look for it. It's over by the canal."

"Well, Saotome, what do you say?" Soun asked his good friend while cracking his knuckles.

"Why not, Tendo?" Genma replied. "Haven't beaten up a good monster in weeks."

Soun checked his watch. 'My class starts in about two hours.' He got up and patted Kasumi gently on top of the head. "Daddy will go get it, honey."

"Good!" the little girl replied. She brushed a pigtail aside and then marched upstairs to change out of her school uniform.

A little while later, Kasumi, dressed in her gi, sat on the mat inside the dojo with her legs folded under her daydreaming. She waited eagerly for the change. As the minutes passed, she imagined what she would do as soon as she was a grownup again. This distraction cost her though.

Ranma wasn't happy that his pupil wasn't paying attention in class and even less so when she commented that he just wasn't good enough really. He ordered her into the corner in front of the whole class. Annoyed, she refused and so instead, she was sent out of the dojo altogether. Nabiki, who was standing next to her during the exchange, watched wide-eyed, her mind racing.

# # # # #

Soun returned from his daughter's quest shortly before his scheduled evening class began. "Well, honey," he announced to his daughter, "We didn't see anything."

"That's right, Kasumi, and we looked high and low too," Genma added while starting to eat.

"For what?" Nabiki chimed in, sounding suspicious.

"Kasumi said she saw something, Nabiki."

"Oh my, Father," Akane commented, which got a mixed reaction from Nabiki, Ranma, and Kasumi. "Do you think it was something dangerous?"

"No, no, Akane," Soun assured her, "Whatever it was the girls saw is gone now."

"**No, it's not!**" Kasumi huffed. How could it be? She and Nabiki were still little.

He knelt down to his little girl's eye level. "Sweetheart," Soun began in a soothing tone of voice, "We looked all over by the canal like you said. Even asked some others. No one saw anything strange. Ryouga hasn't heard of anything strange going on either." He then smiled broadly. "It must've heard Saotome and I were coming after it and ran away."

"Right Tendo."

"What about Shampoo?" Nabiki interjected.

"No, I think it's gone." 'If it ever existed.' Which he highly doubted.

"That's wonderful, Father. Isn't it, girls?" Akane declared proudly.

"But Daddy..." Kasumi stopped. She did not want to whine like a baby.

Soun glanced up at the clock. "Well, now that that's settled, I should get ready for the evening group." He stood up then asked, "By the way, how did the afternoon class go, Ranma?" He raised an eyebrow as Nabiki giggled.

"Uh..." the pigtailed martial artist glanced towards his pigtailed pupil and then at Soun, "It was okay."

"What happened?" Soun asked. His future son-in-law shifted nervously.

"Ranma?" Genma was looking mildly worried. Nabiki looked torn between tattling and keeping quiet. Kasumi tried to make herself disappear into the background.

"Kasumi was rude, Father," Akane interjected into the growing silence, "Ranma had to send her out of the dojo." Genma looked startled; Soun looked annoyed. As the details came out, the startled look was replaced by one of understanding.

"Oh yes," Soun remarked, "I can see where Kasumi would be bored. No offense, Nabiki. Well, come on, Kasumi. Let a real pro show you how things are done." Genma nodded, which earned him a scowl from both Nabiki and Akane.

# # # # #

Ranma paused in his story to see if any of his children were going to comment. The girls looked amongst each other and then the second oldest said, "I think Dad needs a hug."

"Oh, can I hug him too?" Nabiki asked. Ranma felt suddenly nervous.

"As long as I get to do it too, Sis!" Akane piped up. This was the signal and the assault began. By the time it was over, Ranma had forgotten where he'd left off.

"Don't worry, guys," Nabiki declared with an evil grin, "I know what happens next."

"What?" the girls demanded.

"Now your Aunt Kasumi's usually the sweetest person in the world." Nabiki replied lazily, "I mean it was me who had the rep for being sneaky back then."

"You're tellin' me," Ranma replied with a grin.

The woman stuck her tongue out for a moment before continuing, "But Kasumi could be sneaky if she wanted to be..."

# # # # #

The predawn light was just beginning to drive the darkness away when Kasumi Tendo woke with a start of surprise. She lay there for a moment listening to the stillness of the house. Her little sister's breathing indicated deep slumber. And then, she knew why she had awakened.

'No!' Her mind denied it. It just couldn't be. Her hand though told her differently. She sat up feeling the dampness. 'No, no, no!' Kasumi shook her head. 'I am Kasumi Tendo, age nineteen! I'm not a little girl!' She peeked under the covers. Apparently, reality said she was Kasumi Tendo, age eight, who was sitting in a puddle.

'What am I gonna do?' She couldn't let Akane find her like this. She certainly could not let Ranma or Genma and especially couldn't let her father find out. 'What am I gonna do?' She looked wildly around. Maybe she could hide the damp futon somewhere, and then as her eyes landed on her sleeping sister, her mind supplied a plan.

'I couldn't,' she thought sternly but maybe it would shake Nabiki out of her little kid attitude. Besides, Nabiki WAS younger. It would not be so strange. The older girl sighed. 'I can't be sneaky. That would be something Nabiki would do.'

Kasumi suddenly wanted to cry. Too many things were happening too fast. There were things that she wasn't prepared to deal with. The eight year old sat there for some time before she heard Nabiki stirring. 'Too late to move,' she knew. Her sister was sure to cook up some scheme.

Nabiki yawned expansively, stretched, and then sat up. She looked around sleepily. When she saw Kasumi, she stared at the older girl as if she wasn't sure who it was. Recognition dawned a moment later. "'Sumi, time to get up?"

"It's early, Nabiki," Kasumi told her, hoping that Nabiki hadn't detected anything unusual. "Go back to sleep."

The youngster replied, "Can't. Gotta piddle." With that, she jumped up and left the room.

'Gotta change...' the brown-haired child chewed her lip. 'But will they notice?' She had to risk it. As quickly as she could, Kasumi changed and stowed her soiled things in a hiding spot. 'I'll take care of them later.' She carefully made her own futon.

When Nabiki came back, she gave her older sister a puzzled frown and asked, "Why'd you change your PJs, 'Sumi?"

"I didn't, Nabiki." The youngster frowned even more. "Really."

"'Sumi, don't fib," Nabiki remarked.

"I'm not!"

"Not what?" The voice made both girls jump. Akane smiled slightly. "I see you two are up."

"Yep," Nabiki chirped and then declared, "I'm gonna wake Ranma up!"

"I'll help!" Kasumi volunteered in an unconvincing voice wanting to get away as quickly as possible from any incriminating evidence.

End of Chapter 8

Coming next in **Chapter 9 - Moment in the Sun**

"Shoujo Fiction™ and the Shoujo Fiction™ logo are a Trademark of Douglas Helm and Will Wolfshohl. Copyrighted ©2002-2003, All Rights Reserved.


	9. Chapter 9 Moment in the Sun

**Just a Little Time**  
By Douglas Helm and _"Tuxedo"_ Will Wolfshohl  
Continuing a Ranma ½ story kernel by Dark Oni

Those characters that are original and the story "_Just a Little Time_" are copyrighted ©2003-2004 ShoujoFiction dot com domain by Douglas Helm and Will Wolfshohl. Original kernel copyrighted ©1998 by Dark Oni.

This story and dozens of our other stories reside at **ShoujoFiction dot com** . Comments are welcomed.

**Chapter 9 - Moment in the Sun**

**R**anma Saotome strained that night to ignore the incessant throbbing in his head. He lay awake for most of it trying to think of ways to combat the creature. To save Nabiki, Ukyo, and the others. The creature's love of water would make battling it even more difficult. Normally, he gained speed at the price of strength when he changed. Now, he doubted whether his cursed form would even stick around for a fight much less actively attack. _She_ was just too naïve, too weak. He had tried to think of a way to garner more information from Cologne. The Amazon elder knew more than she was telling; he was sure of it. The real problem was that his mind kept wandering back to Akane.

Finally, he fell asleep only to be awakened up what seemed like a minute later by a boisterous child - Nabiki to be precise - jumping upon him. Kasumi stood nearby anxiously as if her kid sister had drug her into something she rather not to be involved in. The resulting melee roused his father as well. Genma laid the blame squarely on his son for his slumber being disturbed. Naturally, this translated into Genma tossing Ranma out of the second story window and into the backyard pond. "Whatcha you do that for?" the wet little redhead had screamed before mooning her father, something much easier to do because of the loose clothing.

And so Ranma sat at breakfast that morning, male, slightly damp, his head aching, and his mood lower than normal.

Akane tried smoothing the ruffled feathers. The eldest Tendo daughter was a little puzzled why Kasumi was reacting the way she was about her "_accident_". It had happened before. No one in the family, not even Nabiki, would likely tease her about it. She knew according to Dr. Tofu, the underlying cause was psychological. One possibility was subconsciously missing their departed mother. Akane couldn't blame her little sister. She deeply missed her too. Nabiki, on the other hand, having only been barely two at the time was too young and had no memory of their mother whatsoever.

Akane sighed internally as she saw a frown stamped on Ranma's face. She was having even less luck getting him out of his foul mood. Apparently, Nabiki saw the frown too because she remarked, "I don't know why you're mad, Ranma. It ain't like I gotcha with water or nothing. I didn't change ya this morning..." The youngster took on a puzzled look and continued to ramble, "But why did you change yesterday?"

"What's it to you, kid?" Ranma snapped with a scowl, "It happened, so just leave it!"

"You're not very nice," Nabiki pouted. Ranma grumbled, pushed himself up, and left the room. Akane was puzzled by this behavior as well. Both Ranma and Kasumi had been acting strange lately. This was not something to discuss in front of the children so she would just have to talk to him alone later.

"Finish up, girls," she said briskly. Getting up, she left them and went in search of her fiancé. She found him brooding alone in the kitchen. He was standing by the sink. "Ranma..."

"I know, Akane," he interrupted before she could begin her expected rant.

"You know it doesn't matter to me."

He turned around and regarded her in a way that surprised her. "It doesn't?"

"Of course not," Akane affirmed. She walked over to him and wrapped her arms about him. For some reason, he seemed to stiffen. Taken aback, she dropped her arms. "Do you think I'm going to scold you?"

"You usually do," Ranma grumbled.

"Honestly Ranma. That's not fair," she scolded him. 'That was a long time ago.' "I know your curse is a touchy subject and someday you'll beat it, but you shouldn't take it out on Nabiki. She's just a child. Scold her for what she did this morning but..."

"Okay, okay... I just don't wanna talk about it, okay Akane?" The pigtailed martial artist huffed, "It's not manly."

The young woman gave him a very cute smile. The type of smile that makes most men weak at the knees. It just made the young Saotome nervous. "I think you're very manly, Ranma-honey." She giggled playfully.

"Uh... Akane, are ya feeling okay?"

"Sure I am," Akane replied. He looked dubious. "You don't believe me?" 'That won't do,' she thought upon seeing her fiancé's stern face. He clearly doubted her. Reaching up, she drew his face closer and kissed him fully on the lips.

Ranma's terror at the prospect of being flattened by a huge mallet was consumed instead by intense surprise. He was just starting to get over that feeling when a very outraged and high-pitched voice broke in on the lovers. "**HEY! AKANE, HE'S MY BOYFRIEND!**" Nabiki shouted.

# # # # #

Kasumi still did not enjoy school that day, even though it wasn't as horrifying as the first day. She slogged through classes grudgingly only doing the minimum amount of work.

By mid-morning, she made her decision. The little girl wanted to seek her sister and her friends out at lunch but instead, she got pulled into a conversation with a group of girls her own age. Music class was again a complete disaster, mainly because she had to stand in the hall holding two buckets for most of the lesson. Again, Nabiki and her classmates wandered by on their way to someplace or other.

As she left the building that afternoon, she marched straight for Nabiki, Maki, and Yuriko who were chatting by the gate. "Listen, girls," Kasumi began, "I want you to show me where the monster attacked you."

"What?" Nabiki asked, "Why?"

"'Cuz I'm gonna settle this."

"Settle what, 'Sumi?" Maki asked.

"I'm gonna get the monster," Kasumi announced, "And I want YOUR help."

"But Ranma's..." Nabiki started.

"Ain't doing nothing!"

"We've been like this a long time," Maki muttered. It was getting harder to remember what being a teen was like.

"But we can't, 'Sumi. It's B-I-G!" Yuriko argued spreading her arms out wide to emphasize the fact. This startled the others.

"Yeah, we can," Kasumi countered confidently, "I'm heir, aren't I?"

"Um... What's an '_heir_'?" Maki asked looking at her friends in confusion. Yuriko shrugged her shoulders.

The eight year old waved that off. "Look, me 'n' Nabiki 'n' Maki can do it without you if we gotta." Nabiki was looking doubtful about that statement. "Look, I don't wanna spend all my time in the hallway and I REALLY don't wanna... um... you know, like this morning... 'Sides, Daddy don't believe us."

"Yeah..." her sister conceded reluctantly, "But, Kasumi, Ranma said he would..."

"Has he?" Kasumi griped. She waited until the others shook their heads. "And anyways, he'll wanna stay here."

"What?" the trio of kindergarteners squawked.

"Nabiki saw him. He's got it made... Go on, tell 'em."

"He was kissing Akane!" Nabiki declared, her facing reddening with annoyance.

"Eew!" Yuriko remarked. Kissing a boy?

"Seriously?" Maki questioned. Her friend nodded. "Wow!"

"Sure, he's little in girl form but he's got it really good otherwise. Akane don't beat him up or nothing no more," Kasumi continued. "We gotta fix this ourselves. You know that Ranma only cares about three things: martial arts, food, and Akane."

"But we gots ta wait..." her sister interjected though not very forcefully. They were all feeling intimidated by the older girl.

"Fine, NABSY," Kasumi hissed. "I betcha Maki 'n' Yuri would show me. THEY don't wanna be little FOR-EV-ER." Her sister turned several shades of pink and sniffled as her eyes misted over with tears.

"We'll come!" Maki agreed. Yuriko appeared apprehensive but didn't offer any protests.

"Good, well come on. Let's leave the baby." With that, Kasumi turned and headed down the street. Maki and Yuriko followed looking back over their shoulders every few moments to their solitary friend. Nabiki gritted her teeth and stood there defiantly. But the further her friends and older sister got away, the less resolve she felt.

The littlest Tendo tried desperately not to cry. She rubbed at her eyes and sniffled loudly. Eventually, losing the battle, her will dissolved completely into a flood of tears.

'I don't want to be a baby!' Nabiki whined to herself, 'I'm a big girl!' After all, she was really seventeen, not five. If she went though, Ranma would be mad. ''N' Ranma said I'd get a spankin'...' She didn't want that, and if Ranma didn't spank her, then certainly Akane or her father would instead. 'But Maki 'N' Yuriko will tease me! And Kasumi...' The child rubbed her eyes and wiped her nose. 'She... She... yelled at me!' The youngster plopped herself down onto the ground and bawled.

# # # # #

Ranma Saotome grew a little concerned as he approached the elementary school. He could hear someone, a little girl, crying and it sounded like Nabiki. Seconds later, he discovered it was Nabiki, who was unsuccessfully being consoled by one of the teachers.

"Hey," he asked, trying to sound reassuring, "What happened?"

"RANMA!" Nabiki wailed and flung herself at the pigtailed teen.

"Are you okay, Nabiki?"

"'Sumi was mean to me!" she whined.

"She was?" He quickly looked around. "Where is Kasumi?" Ranma asked he felt his stomach sinking. The five year old continued to cry. Lifting the little girl up, he dug in his pocket for a handkerchief and put it to her nose. "Blow." When she didn't, he ordered more firmly, "Nabiki. Blow." She did so. "Now take a deep breath." She took one and hiccuped. "Deep breath." Again, the littlest Tendo complied. Snuffling but obviously calmer, she hugged Ranma who regarded the teacher.

"No idea," the teacher replied to the obvious question, "I found her just a minute before you showed up."

"Hmmm..." Ranma replied with a frown. "Nabiki?"

"Wha-What?" Nabiki answered in a throaty voice.

"Do you know where Kasumi and the others went?" Tears filled the child's eyes but she nodded. "Where Nabsy-cakes?"

"Fightin' the monster."

The martial artist smacked his forehead and gritted his teeth. He wanted to swear but wouldn't in front of a child.

"Monster?" the teacher asked.

"It's a big c-c-ca..." Ranma gulped and whispered, "Cat."

"Oh..."

"Where'd she go?" Ranma questioned his charge.

"Where it was 'fore, I think."

Taking on a grim look, he asked the youngster, "Ready for a little ride?"

Nabiki's eyes lit up. "YEAH!"

"Hang on then!" And with that, Ranma put the child on his shoulders and bounded away leaving the teacher more than a little stunned.

# # # # #

Maki gave Nabiki's older sister a wary look before turning her eyes over to her friend Yuriko who was practically clinging to her. She could feel the tension building in the pit of her stomach. Maybe this wasn't such a good idea. She briefly wondered if Ranma had discovered them missing yet but shied away from that thought. 'How could Nabiki abandon us?' Maki wondered disloyally, 'Does she really like being five?' Maybe Kasumi had a point. Ranma was taking his sweet time. He should have beat up that monster by now. Nevertheless, that didn't mean Maki was in any hurry to meet up with it. There were worse things than being five years old. She also had serious doubts about Kasumi being as good as she claimed even if she was older than them.

"Is this it?" Kasumi demanded interrupting her thoughts.

Maki felt her mouth go dry. Yuriko hid behind her. She looked extremely unhappy at seeing the familiar stretch of road next to the canal where they had been attacked. Where things had changed so drastically for the three former high school juniors.

"It's not here, Kasumi," Maki observed, "Let's go back."

"Don't be silly, Maki. We ain't leaving yet," Kasumi remarked. "Let's see... Yeah... We gotta get it out into the open." The eight year old gave the duo a look that dared them to contradict her. "Come on," she commanded. She moved off down the street and closer to the spot.

"We're in SO much trouble," Maki breathed so that only Yuriko could hear.

Yuriko was thinking that exact same thing but she was just too frightened to voice it. She was also feeling very guilty about leaving her best friend. Her friend had been brave to stay behind. 'Nabiki's a good girl.' Which of course meant she was a bad girl. Nanami too had said she was bad. Could she be right? Yuriko hoped not. 'I want to go!' she cried to herself. She wished Maki would just leave, and then she could run back.

Walking down that same street, now in a much smaller body, was quite disconcerting. Each step they took towards the dreaded spot where they had been attacked made Maki feel more and more unsettled. She took a fleeting look around the area. Yes, something was watching them; she could feel its hideous eyes on her.

About halfway down the street, Yuriko suddenly stopped, nearly toppling her friend over in the process. The little girl stood stock-still, her eyes tightly shut. The sounds she heard were ominous. The air seemed to grow colder with every step. Kasumi peered down at the canal through the chain-link fence separating it from the road. Nothing was in evidence.

"Can we go now, Kasumi? Please?" Maki pleaded, not caring at this point how her voice sounded. 'I should've stayed with Nabiki.'

"Chill out, Maki. We just gotta get it out here," Kasumi reassured the younger girls. Pivoting, she shouted down to the canal, "Hey Big 'n' Ugly!"

'Just great!' Yuriko worried with a shudder, 'Really tick it off!' Suddenly, there was a crash from behind them. All three girls gave a screech of surprise. The two kindergarteners ran and clung to Kasumi for protection. In the fading light of sunset, they saw an old gray alley cat streak past them. 'If that happens again,' the smaller girl thought anxiously, 'I'll wet myself.' Her friend didn't look much better.

"Gee, it's only a kitty." Kasumi brushed her two frightened companions aside. The pair retreated. They held each other's hands tightly as they watched Kasumi sniff then turn back towards the canal. The young martial artist dropped into a combat stance then called, "I'm talking to you, Mr. Monster!" No response. She called out again, "Are you scared of a Tendo?" The only sounds were the trickling of water, the distant sounds of traffic, and the rustling of leaves. There was nothing, nothing except...

"**WHAT ON EARTH ARE YOU THREE DOING?**" The voice rang out like a gunshot. Yuriko screamed and ducked behind Maki. Maki gulped audibly.

'Ranma!' Yuriko supplied then his cargo. 'Nabiki!' With sudden overwhelming relief, she plopped herself down onto the ground and cried; her friend wasn't long in following.

Kasumi, her confidence vanishing like the morning mists, tried very hard not to cry. She couldn't cry, not in front of Maki and Yuriko, not after calling her own sister a baby.

Ranma sat Nabiki down and she ran over to her friends. The teen martial artist turned and gave Kasumi a stern look. "What do you think you are doing, Kasumi?"

"Getting the monster!" Kasumi retorted. She leapt quickly into a defensive stance in an attempt to impress her teacher.

"And what if Maki or Yuriko had gotten hurt?" The eight year old had no answer. He put his hands on his hips. "Do you know what its weaknesses are? Do you know what techniques the Amazons used to defeat it?"

"T-Tech... No," the little pigtailed brunette admitted, bowing her head.

The three five year old's quieted some. The still sniffled but didn't want to miss the older girl being chewed out. They also didn't want Ranma to think about what they had done.

"So you were going to fight it."

"Yes, I'm heir to Tendo Dojo," Kasumi pointed out although she didn't feel like one now.

"And what about the other monsters?"

"Other..." the three kindergartners squeaked, huddling together, and looking around.

"M-Monsters?" Kasumi finished, looking very small at that moment.

"Yeah, the..." Ranma trailed off looking grim. "So you're gonna risk yourself or Nabiki or her friends just to take on something you don't know nothing about? Some martial artist..."

"But I wanna be big!"

"So does Nabiki!" Ranma replied sternly. The youngsters giggled nervously at the look on Kasumi's face.

"BULLSHIT!" Kasumi shouted back, fists clenched.

"'Sumi said a bad word!" Nabiki squeaked, eyes wide. This was something even the grown Kasumi rarely did.

"**Do you want a spanking, young lady?**" Ranma thundered.

"**You ****ain't**** my daddy!**"

The teen walked over to the eight year old, bent down, and gave her a long look. "That's right, little Miss Tendo, but I'm just as responsible for you as Akane or your father. If it takes your dad spankin' ya to knock some sense into that stubborn skull of yours that you can't handle the monster, then fine." Kasumi's shoulders slumped and she looked at the ground miserably. "Now let's go home." Ranma in a tired voice heaved a sigh.

# # # # #

Soun Tendo gazed out his bedroom window and sighed. Ranma had placed Maki and Yuriko back into their parents' care and then had brought his children home. Ranma was in the dojo working out alone - no afternoon classes today - which was just as well given Ranma's mood. Akane was in the kitchen preparing supper. Nabiki was with Kasumi just as unhappy as if she was the one in hot water. And Kasumi was looking miserable. Both girls still wearing their school uniforms were silently waiting outside their father's bedroom.

Soun sat there trying to consider what he was going to do. Ranma had argued for leniency. Akane too had agreed saying that it was just stress and pointing out Kasumi's earlier bedwetting the previous night as proof. She suggested they should consult Dr. Tofu. He reluctantly dismissed their suggestions. In his opinion, the problem was more than just stress. Kasumi had placed others in danger. True, his eight year old daughter had always been adventurous and spirited. Soun appreciated those qualities in her just as he appreciated Akane's gentle touch. Kasumi though had recently become rash, disrespectful, and rebellious. None of which he was willing to tolerate.

Ranma indicated that he was willing to take Kasumi on for extra training but again, Soun declined. 'I place so much on him already.' It was good that the boy and his eldest would wed someday. Ranma taking on a role as second father with his two youngest only substantiated Akane's choice more in his mind and the wisdom of the pact he had made a decade ago with his friend Genma. The elder Tendo always felt a pang of guilt. His wife's untimely death had taken something out of him.

What Soun would not admit to either Ranma or Akane though, was the fact that Kasumi's actions didn't fit his image of an heir. He had given this serious consideration. The Tendo Dojo must have an heir after all. Akane had taken over the household chores after their mother's passing and Soun was unwilling to add to her burdens. Not that she had shown much interest in "_The Art_". Nabiki had been too young.

So it had fallen to little Kasumi. In the beginning, she had taken to it like a fish to water. She even got Nabiki interested. But things had changed. 'Perhaps, I've neglected the mental disciplines of _The Art_, emphasizing only the physical.' To put it another way: Kasumi had grown a little too big for her britches. It was one thing to claim to be heir to the Tendo Dojo. It was quite another to actually be heir. Her behavior today demonstrated a flaw in his teachings. Still, she's young and there was ample time to correct this.

After a few more minutes of thought, he walked over to his door and opened it. "Kasumi, come in here." His middle daughter did so; Nabiki trailed behind. "Nabiki," Soun said gently, "I wish to talk to your sister alone. Go and play." The youngster might not have left but her father didn't give her any choice. Once he was sure his youngest was gone, he stepped back into the room and closed the door.

He took Kasumi's hand, led her over to a chair, and sat down. She stood before him for a moment silently regarding him before asking softly, "Are you mad, Daddy?"

"Yes, Kasumi. I'm very disappointed in you." The pigtailed brunette's eyes filled with tears. "I thought you were a big girl."

"I am!"

"Not when you do such dangerous things. Nabiki's younger than you are but she stayed at school. I'm very proud of her for that." He would have said more but Kasumi launched into a flurry of reasoning. "**ENOUGH!**" he shouted midway through her second retelling of the story. "What you did was wrong, period."

There was a long pause and then Kasumi admitted softly, "I know, Daddy. Sorry."

"Well, I'm glad about that," the father remarked with some relief. "Now here's how we're going to handle it. Firstly, I will setup some extra training for you. Until it's complete, you aren't to attend the junior classes with Nabiki."

"But Daddy, I..."

"NO!" Soun snapped. "Secondly, you are change into your pajamas and head straight to bed after we're done here."

"Yes sir," the little girl replied.

"Finally, young lady, you've earned yourself a spanking."

Kasumi just stared at him in disbelief. 'A spanking?' she thought, 'No way.' She had spanked Akane occasionally when Akane was little but she couldn't remember ever getting one herself. 'And this is Daddy, not Ranma. 'N' I'm not Nabiki!' There was only one conclusion. "Stop joshing, Daddy!"

"I'm not."

"Bu-but y-you never..." By way of answer, Soun pulled her over his lap. 'NO! I'm not little! I'm nineteen!' It had to be a nightmare. The first swat took her completely by surprise. It was not until the third that Kasumi's brain truly registered what was occurring.

# # # # #

The late afternoon sun made the distant nimbus clouds appear even darker. The foot traffic was normal for that time of day in Nerima. Akane, walking beside Ranma after supper, glanced towards her future husband and lost a little of her smile.

In an effort to break the awkward silence and get the sometimes-girl to pay attention to her, Akane decided to remark on the weather. "Looks like it'll rain tomorrow." Ranma's reply was a grunt. "What's the matter, Ranma?" He glanced at her for a moment and then sighed.

"It's Nabiki. I just don't get her." The little girl's listlessness hadn't even been dispelled by Ranma changing forms. "She didn't want ice cream or anything, Akane."

"Is that all? Nabiki just thinks Kasumi's mad at her." Akane walked closer and assured him, "Dad'll cheer her up." Soun was determined to give Nabiki a special treat for being so good. 'I hope Father doesn't go overboard.'

"I don't think it'll work. Nabsy's set on being miserable," the teen martial artist figured. He shook his head and stared off into space. "I never thought Kasumi would act like that." She was so different for the reserved young woman he knew. After a moment, he sighed and looked towards the ground. "Sorry Akane."

"For what? You weren't the one to leave school on some imaginary monster hunt," Akane pointed out. "Don't worry, Ranma. Father will straighten Kasumi out."

"I feel like I messed up," the pigtailed martial artist grumbled more to himself than his companion.

"No, you didn't," she soothed, "And for Nabiki to do what she did means you made a big impression on her." 'Almost as big as the one you've made on me.' She slipped an arm about him and was happy when Ranma responded in kind. "Kasumi never really took to you but Father trusts you like his own son." She saw some of the strain leave his face and he smiled.

Ranma then said the oddest thing, "Ya know, Kasumi sorta reminds me of you."

While Akane was chewing on remark, she noticed something. "Ranma-honey?"

"Hmm?"

"Aren't WE going for ice cream?"

"Uh, yeah."

"Then why are we headed towards Ucchan's?" Akane pointed down the street to where the sign for "Ukyo's Okonomiyaki Restaurant" hung.

"Force of habit I guess," Ranma answered, "I think with my stomach." As if on cue, it rumbled. "I could do with a snack."

"Good grief, Ranma!" his fiancée exclaimed, "You just had a supper large enough to feed the entire army of Japan!"

"I'm a growin' boy!" Ranma replied and patted his stomach, which growled.

Akane giggled and shook her head. "Well I guess it won't hurt and I want to check up on Ukyo." They continued until they came to the entrance and went in.

"RANMA!" was little Ukyo's happy greeting. She was wearing pajamas and holding a stuffed puppy by one ear. She was in Ryouga's arms. The sometimes-pig martial artist turned and smiled; something that made Ranma nervous.

"Hey, you two!" Ryouga greeted while walking over to them, "If you hang on a second, I'll put Ukyo to bed, and then, I can whip you up something to eat."

'Ryouga cook okonomiyaki?' The pigtailed teen wasn't so sure he wanted one but Akane didn't leave him much choice.

"We had supper already, Ryouga," she informed him, "But thank you anyway. Ranma will have one. He says he's starved!"

"Ranma!" Ukyo squealed more than a little plaintively as she reached out towards him. Grinning, he took her from his rival and gave her a large hug. Akane took the little girl next and started fussing over her.

"I'll get started then," Ryouga declared and set about making Ranma one of his favorites. Ranma, for his part, just stared in bewilderment.

"Let's go see if we can find a story," Akane mused and without even asking, carried the preschooler from the room. Ryouga smiled after her before turning back to the large grill.

"You are so lucky, Saotome," he remarked. "Akane's a wonderful girl."

"Y-Yeah... She is," Ranma admitted and then asked, "So Ryouga, when did you learn to cook okonomiyaki?"

The lost boy stared at him for a moment then explained, "Well, Ukyo's old man asked me to look after it for her, didn't he?" He shook his head. "I promised him as a martial artist that I'd keep it going until Ukyo was old enough. It was the least I could do to repay the debt I owed him." He sighed, served Ranma the finished okonomiyaki, and wiped the grill down.

Before Ranma could comment, Akane came back still carrying Ukyo and holding a storybook. "Ukyo says she wants this one, Ryouga," she giggled.

"Going to bed, kiddo?" Ranma asked. 'She's so cute.'

"No!" the four year old shook her head.

"Yes, you are, young lady," her guardian disagreed while taking the youngster from Akane, "You had a big day today."

"NO! Me going with Ranma. Goin' his house."

"Not tonight," Ryouga said while retrieving the youngster who hit him with the toy. "That's not nice, Ukyo."

"Poopy!" Ukyo pouted.

Ranma ate while Akane read the little girl the story. By the time it was over, the child was nearly asleep.

"We'll leave you to it, Ryouga," Akane declared putting the book down on the table. Ranma gave Ukyo a quick hug trying not to wake her and winked at his sometimes rival. The couple was just to the door when Ryouga called after them.

"Say Akane, would you babysit Ukyo for me Saturday?"

"Sure!" Akane replied with a grin. Ranma nodded and with that, they left.

# # # # #

The couple, having gotten their ice cream, was walking at a leisurely pace. Akane was happy to see that Ranma was paying more attention to her. 'The way to a man's heart is through his stomach,' she mused as she placed her head lovingly against her fiancé's strong bicep.

"Akane?"

"Hmm?"

The young man stopped and glanced around as if expecting to be attacked. Looking more than a little hesitant, he put his hands on her shoulders and gave her a serious look.

"What is it, Ranma?" the raven-haired girl wondered.

"I... I l-love you." The pigtailed teen tensed as if expecting a mallet to fall on him at any instant. Akane for her part giggled, wrapped her arms around him, and kissed him. He relaxed and after a few seconds returned the kiss. 'Okay, I can say it... But this isn't my Akane.' Once they broke apart, Ranma stared down at her. 'Akane helps me.' Maybe she could help him out with Kasumi.

The couple continued their walk and after a short time, spotted a figure they knew. "Hi Doc!"

Dr. Tofu, arms full of groceries, turned and grinned at the pair. "Go help him out, Ranma," Akane suggested. Her fiancé nodded and jogged up to the young physician.

"Man Doc, are you feedin' an army or something?"

"I'm afraid that I've been busy lately," Tofu explained while shifting some of the bags to one of his regular patients. "I haven't been shopping in awhile."

"Ah..."

"Hello, Dr. Tofu," Akane greeted, "Do you have a moment or two? We wanted to talk to you."

"Yes, come along to the clinic." As they started walking, he asked, "What's it about?" He looked them quickly over. Neither seemed in need of his services. "You two out for a walk?"

"Ice cream and a couple of errands," she replied then turning more serious, "I wanted to talk to you about Kasumi actually."

"Yeah Doc," Ranma piped in but then added, "It's been an interesting day."

"Really? Well let's wait until we're settled better and then we can talk." Ranma's stomach growled as if hungry. Akane stared in an open mouth fashioned as her fiancé turned red.

# # # # #

Sometime later, Dr. Tofu and the two teens sat in the clinic's waiting room. As they drank tea, Dr. Tofu had prepared, they discussed the day's events and Akane told the doctor about her concerns.

"I'm glad the girls weren't hurt," Dr. Tofu remarked and then grinned, "Kasumi has always been active, almost borderline ADHD."

"Hmm..." Akane didn't appear overly impressed by that remark.

"I just wish I could get her attention sometimes," Ranma commented. "It's okay with Nabiki but..." 'They're both so different.' He shrugged.

Dr. Tofu looked thoughtful for a moment and then nodded. "Hold on, Ranma, I might have just the thing for you." He left the waiting room and entered his office. A few moments later, he came back out carrying a small leather-bound volume. "This might help." He handed the book to the young martial artist.

Ranma took it, blinked, and said in a strained voice, "_Practical Pressure Points for Partners_?"

Dr. Tofu turned scarlet and stammered, "Sorry, my mistake. I got the wrong one." He began reaching for it to retrieve it but Akane delicately removed it from her fiancé's hands.

"I'd like to borrow it for a while if it's okay with you, Dr. Tofu." Ranma looked terrified by this point. Dr. Tofu looked a little distressed but nodded his approval. He then retreated into his office.

"Uh... A-Akane?" The feral smile he observed made the pigtailed youth inch away slightly from the girl.

After a moment, the doctor came back with a similar looking book and announced, "This is what I wanted to show you."

"Well that makes a little more sense," Ranma replied as he read the title, "_Practical Pressure Points for Parents_". He shook his head remembering the problems he had using them on his English teacher Miss Hinako. "But I ain't really into pressure points, Doc."

"I recommend '_Technique Number Five_,'" Dr. Tofu stated simply.

# # # # #

The young couple stayed long enough to finish their tea before leaving. As they walked down the street toward their home, Ranma tried to figure out a way to get the book Akane was carrying away from her. 'Maybe I should use '_Number Five_'.' He wasn't really interested in mastering all pressure points but a few of them wouldn't hurt. Dr. Tofu and Cologne certainly put them to good effect. His mind was so occupied that he nearly tripped when Akane stopped dead in her tracks. He turned around and regarded her in confusion.

"What's up?"

"Ranma, did you feel the ground shake?" Akane asked worriedly.

Ranma looked around but didn't see anything. "Nope."

"I'm sure I felt..." Akane stopped and this time Ranma felt it. He frowned. "Earthquake?" It felt off to him. All the animal sounds had stopped.

Then something told him to move fast. Never one to ignore his senses, Ranma scooped his fiancée up and leapt away to the nearest rooftop. Just then, the street exploded as a huge jet of water erupted into the air. And from the surface of said water waved glowing blue tentacles.

End of Chapter 9

Coming next in **Chapter 10 - A New Paradigm **

"Shoujo Fiction™ and the Shoujo Fiction™ logo are a Trademark of Douglas Helm and Will Wolfshohl. Copyrighted ©2002-2003, All Rights Reserved.


	10. Chapter 10 A New Paradigm

**Just a Little Time**  
By Douglas Helm and _"Tuxedo"_ Will Wolfshohl  
Continuing a Ranma ½ story kernel by Dark Oni

Those characters that are original and the story "_Just a Little Time_" are copyrighted ©2003-2004 ShoujoFiction dot com domain by Douglas Helm and Will Wolfshohl. Original kernel copyrighted ©1998 by Dark Oni.

This story and dozens of our other stories reside at **ShoujoFiction dot com** . Comments are welcomed.

**Chapter 10 - A New Paradigm**

**F**ive year old Nabiki Tendo awoke with a start. Sleepily sitting up, she wondered if she had wet the bed. She didn't feel wet and patting the futon beneath her confirmed that all was dry. 'Do I have to go?' she wondered drowsily. Her body signaled back with a very vague "_maybe_" to the question.

The youngster was on the verge of crawling out of bed when a feral growl stopped her. She quickly glanced about the dark room looking for its source. She gave a tiny squeal of terror as her eyes settled on an indistinct figure sitting right beside her. As the form started to move, the youngest Tendo gave another squeal of terror and pulled the blanket over her head. After all, she reasoned, if you couldn't see the monster, it couldn't see you.

The little girl was startled when she heard her big sister's voice, "Nabiki, what's wrong?"

''Sumi? Oh no! The monster might get 'Sumi!' Nabiki feared in a sleep-filled haze. 'I got to save her!' Much to the older girl's surprise, her younger sister unexpectedly lunged at her, toppling her over to her back and covering her with the blanket.

"What are you doing?" came an exasperated hiss from beneath the blanket. Her sister's knee dug into her abdomen pinning her to the floor.

"Shhh..." Nabiki whispered, "There's a monster."

"No, there's not," Kasumi argued while attempting to shift her sister off of her body but the younger girl had a "_death grip_" on her so she couldn't gain any leverage.

"Nah uh!" she whispered, "I heard it growl." As if on cue, the inhuman growl reoccurred. "Shh! 'Sumi! It's back!" 'Sounds mad too.'

"Nabiki! That... was... my... TUMMY!" the eight year old grumbled darkly. "Now get off!" Nabiki released her hold and wiggled to the side careful to keep Kasumi covered.

'I hope she ain't mad.' "You hungry?"

The girl's head popped out from under the blanket. "Yeah. I got sent to bed without supper, remember?"

"Oh..." Nabiki replied after moment and then assumed, "No monster?"

"No."

"Promise 'Sumi?"

"Yes."

"'Kay..." the five year old sounded vaguely disappointed at this. The little girl pushed the blanket away and clambered to her feet. In the meantime, Kasumi rolled over, sat up, and watched silently as her younger sister headed for the door.

"Nabiki, where are you goin'?" Kasumi asked softly. But the girl didn't respond and a moment later, was gone. The older girl heaved a sigh and shook her head. Her father had been quite thorough in his spanking. She had cried herself to sleep long before Nabiki had come to bed. She was glad Nabiki hadn't seen it. She looked at the window vaguely wondering what time it was. The house seemed very still. 'What am I going to do?' She was still pondering this as her sister returned.

"Here," Nabiki said. She held out a peace offering in her hand as she sat beside her sister.

In the darkness, the eight year old wasn't sure what was being offered at first but she quickly discovered that it was a stack of chocolate chip cookies. "Nabiki..." Kasumi began in an admonishing tone.

"You can have mine too," Nabiki interrupted in a pleading tone. It didn't take long for Kasumi to cave in. She started eating the cookies in earnest, all the while worrying that they'd get caught. "I'm really really sorry, Kasumi," Nabiki apologized in a very quiet and miserable voice.

"For what?" Kasumi mumbled around a mouthful of cookie.

"I shouldn't've tattled on ya. That was naughty."

"What I did was, Nabiki," Kasumi countered after a few seconds of thought. 'I can't believe I acted so stupid. Your friends could've been hurt. They're just babies!' Her father and Ranma were right.

"Maki 'n' Yuki won't like me no more either." The older girl shifted over and hugged her kid sister.

"Have a cookie, Sis," she offered gently. 'Thank you, Nabiki. I owe you one.'

Nabiki, sounding on the verge of tears, began, "'Su-'Sumi, am I a..." The child yawned, slumped back onto Kasumi's pillow, and just like that drifted off to sleep. Kasumi, after finishing one final cookie, snuggled up beside her and went back to sleep, her mind whirling with dancing cats.

# # # # #

Later, Kasumi flushed the toilet and washed her hands, still marveling at how much higher the sink was. She would have been in real trouble had there not been a stepstool conveniently sitting nearby. She hopped off and reached above her flicking the light switch off. The room was plunged into almost total darkness except for a small nightlight. As she left the bathroom, she ran into someone. Startled, she looked up and in the hallway's gloom, she found Ranma waiting for her.

To see Ranma Saotome up at 5:30 in the morning was shocking. To see him fully dressed and apparently fully awake was even more so. "I wanna talk to ya, Kasumi," he announced.

The eight year old had a sinking feeling in the pit of her stomach. Still, she couldn't show him she was intimidated. Her new martial arts knowledge told her that much so she crossed her arms and replied, "So talk."

The pigtailed youth motioned for her to follow him. Down the hallway, they padded on bare feet and into the kitchen. She was startled when Ranma lifted her up and sat her on the island's countertop. "Okay, Kasumi, why did ya go after the monster by yourself?"

"'Cause you weren't gonna!" she snapped more loudly than she would have liked. Realizing she might wake up the whole house, she continued in a quieter tone, "You wanna stay."

"No way," Ranma argued softly. 'Whatever gave her that idea?' The youngster snorted. "Did you ever think that if I got splashed fighting it, I'd be in REALLY big trouble?" He had been lucky to escape being in diapers himself on his last attempt.

"Yeah, that's why '_I_' went after it, Ranma. 'Cuz you're too scared." She flipped her head confidently sending her long brunette hair flying. "'Sides, I'm better than you."

"Oh yeah?"

"Yeah and I'll prove it." The girl hopped gracefully from the counter, touched down, and took up a combat ready stance. Then it happened. She didn't even see Ranma's movement nor did she feel the infinitesimal touch at a pressure point. One instant, he was standing a few feet before her; the next instant, he was practically standing toe-to-toe during which time she gave a yelp of surprise more than of pain as every nerve in her bottom blinked on for a moment.

"Whatcha know, the Doc was right."

"Doc?" Kasumi prodded rubbing her behind.

"Yeah, Doctor Tofu. He gave me a pressure point book." Ranma explained, "He said that Number Five would get your attention."

'Oh my! It sure did!' She sighed, bowed her head, and looked towards the floor. She had been defeated by a single touch. Ranma was a true martial artist just like her dad said.

The teen knelt down in front of Kasumi to look at her at eye level and continued, "Please listen, Kasumi. I'm tryin'... But my head hurts!" He hadn't slept well. His dreams had been filled with visions of Akane held defenseless in the monster's clutches. Of waiting years before she would grow up again. Of being too old to date her.

"I wanna help, Ranma."

"You can," Ranma assured her, "But if I get splashed like last time, I'll change. What I need is a way to get it out of the water." He sighed and shifted into a sitting position. "I gotta talk to Cologne but that's gonna be tricky. The Old Ghoul just don't give up stuff for nothin'."

The girl stared at him a moment and asked, "You wanna go back?" He nodded. "But you kissed Akane." At least, Nabiki had told her he had. Didn't that mean he necessarily liked this Akane better than the other Akane? He never kissed that one. At least that she knew about. It was so confusing.

"Yeah," Ranma replied after a long pause, "But this one ain't mine."

"And Nabiki's acting all weird 'n' stuff too."

He snorted then. "Yeah, Nabsy's got it in her head that _she's_ my fiancée." He heaved a mighty sigh. "It's not fair to her or you or Ukyo or none of them." The pigtailed martial artist then revealed soberly, "You know, Kasumi... I tried to get your dad to go easy on ya. I wanted to handle it 'cause I know you're really nineteen."

"Oh... But Nabiki... She's... She's acting shy. Nabiki wasn't ever shy."

"That's 'cuz Nabiki thinks you're mad at her." The current heir to the Tendo Dojo was startled by the admission. She had mostly understood him and he seemed sincere. "Are you?"

"What?"

"Mad at Nabiki."

"No... She's my sister... I s'ppose I sorta blew it."

Ranma gave her a crooked grin. "Sorta?"

"Do you hate me, Ranma?" the girl wondered. She deserved it after causing everyone so many problems.

His eyes went wide and he stared at her. "Nobody could ever hate you, Kasumi." There was a long moment of silence and then he suggested, "Hey Kasumi, why don't we make breakfast together?"

"Deal!" Kasumi agreed and then giggling hugged the young man.

# # # # #

Friday turned out to be full of surprises. For Nabiki, it began with Yuriko asking her if she was mad at them for going with Kasumi. The eight year old, who was behind them holding Akane's hand, turned pink and looked like she wanted to melt into the sidewalk. Nabiki reassured her friend that she wasn't angry.

Maki, on the other hand, was obviously mad at Nabiki, which upset the littlest Tendo. Kasumi tried to smooth things over for her sister but it didn't help. Akane remained silent, for which Kasumi thanked Kami. Nabiki's next biggest shock was when Yuriko, in a fit of uncharacteristic temper, bounced a dodgeball off of Maki's nose for ignoring them. Maki for her part plunked herself down and bawled.

Kasumi's school day began with her friends gathering around her. Somehow, she found herself describing last night's adventure, although the eight year old was careful to keep the resulting consequences to herself. Her tale did not elicit the reactions she had expected. Instead, her story had the effect of starting a contest of one-upmanship amongst her new friends. The contest was not to see who had perpetrated the most outrageous stunt in their young life, but rather, who had received the severest punishment for said stunt. Kasumi could tell the embellishment factor was high. At least, she hoped it was. Thankfully, the bell cut the contest short before she was forced to contribute.

Later, the middle Tendo daughter wandered over to the kindergartner's area to spend her lunchtime with Nabiki and the others. This surprised her classmates. Kasumi wasn't one to spend much time with the "_babies_".

Ranma and Akane's day at Furinkan High School was going to end around lunchtime. Tatewaki Kuno, in one of his lust-induced rampages charged Ranma who defended easily. Then Kuno grabbed Akane, who didn't react the way Ranma expected. Instead of clobbering her assailant with a mallet or kicking him into low earth orbit, the eldest Tendo daughter screamed in terror. Seeing this, the pigtailed martial artist only took a moment to react and lunged at the upperclassman.

The crazed Kendo captain swung raised his wooden sword over his head and swung it at his hated foe. Akane though nudged Kuno's arms at the last second diverting the trajectory slightly away. So said blow managed to only graze her fiancé on the side of the head. He recovered quickly and shifted to the side. He had to swivel to avoid his opponent's follow up stroke.

Then without warning, Ranma was toppling out of a third-story window. The teen wasn't too worried about it until he was perhaps ten feet above the school swimming pool. Then he realized that while his normal female self could swim, his rather immature form would probably sink like a stone.

Just as panic due to the realization that he might drown started to set in, Ranma hit the water and his change overtook him. Arms and legs vanished inside clothing as he shrank; the torso grew small and slightly pudgy with baby fat as his gender shifted. His well-honed physique disappeared into that of a little girl. Stomach and bottom lost their sleek appearance his regular female form had. Then all went black.

Little Ranma Saotome might have met an untimely demise in that pool. As it turned out, Principal Kuno saved him. It would be sometime later before Ranma speculated whether drowning would have been preferable. Akane arrived just in time to save the frightened child from receiving a buzz cut, as the principal declared would be "_the fastest way to dry off her wet hair_". So it was a relieved little redhead who was curled up fast asleep in Akane's arms by the time they reached Doctor Tofu's clinic.

# # # # #

Meanwhile, Kodachi Kuno in her leotard frolicked along the street making her way towards the Kuno Estate. Twirling her long gymnastics ribbon behind her, she ignored the strange looks of the mundane peasants around her as she pictured Ranma in her mind. 'Oh my love!' the demented gymnast thought, 'Wouldst I be with you.'

She was so enraptured by the thoughts of what Ranma would eventually do to her that she missed her turn. Kodachi didn't realize it until she came face-to-face with a stone wall. Glancing about, hoping no one would notice her mistake, the black rose-wielding teen retraced her steps. Heading down the proper street along the canal, her mind soon slipped into its normal deranged pattern of thought. 'Ranma-darling, you are a true man among men. So strong and bold and yet so coy and crass. A man befitting of my great beauty and stature.' She sighed. 'Your love of me grows forth as the shining of the...' She paused, not used to thinking the way her brother normally spoke. As she paused, the brightness to her right caught her attention. 'Yes, your love for me is like the glowing of the sun!'

She sighed, crossed her arms, and rested them upon the railing of the bridge crossing the canal. 'When will you gather me into your arms, my beloved?' Kodachi wondered, not even noticing the bubbles approaching in the waters below. 'Shall you toy with my heart forever?' She shook her head and gazed at the setting sun. 'Never! For my brother shall take that harridan Akane Tendo away from you.' If only the harlot were skilled in the gentle art of _Martial Arts Gymnastics_. Worse still, Akane was totally uneducated in "_The Art_". Therefore, challenging the eldest Tendo daughter would not be honorable, and would upset her adored fiancé deeply.

The gymnast sighed, not noticing a blue tentacle creep over the edge of the bridge and slip through the railing. She did not notice it carefully wrap itself about her ankle.

"Oh Ranma-darling..." Kodachi cooed, "Come and kiss me!" At that instant, the tentacle let go as if Kodachi's ankle was electrified. It hastily retreated through the railing and sped into the water with an audible splash.

As the "_Black Rose_" made her way home, the creature hiding in the waters shuddered. "Nasty..." it gurgled to itself, "So close though!" It needed to find some energy. "So close..."

# # # # #

Ranma found himself a little overwhelmed that Saturday. Trying to feed and entertain three energetic kindergartners and a third-grader was proving more difficult than he imagined. It didn't help matters that Soun and his father vanished upon the group's arrival home.

Moreover, the pigtailed youth quickly realized that while Kasumi was an eager babysitter, she could only be trusted a few minutes without supervision. Eventually, he got the girls settled down for lunch. By that time Akane, who had gone to pickup Ukyo, was home too.

"Jeez, Akane, what took ya so long?" Ranma whined.

"Oh Ryouga was chasing Ukyo and he changed and..." Ranma, upon hearing that his fiancée had witnessed Ryouga's transformation into a pig, fired a jet of water from both nostrils. The five year olds broke into laughter.

"Do it again!" Ukyo demanded as she squirmed from Akane's grip and went over to Ranma.

Kasumi questioned, "Changed?"

"Yeah, so I had to get a kettle of hot water going for little '_P-chan_'..." She giggled. "And keep an eye on Ukyo at the same time. Honestly, how Ryouga manages it alone, I don't know."

"Uh..." Ranma started nervously, "You aren't mad?"

"Mad?" Akane looked puzzled.

Nabiki suddenly became very still and watched her sister with wariness. Yuriko and Maki wondered what the fuss was all about.

"About Ryouga changing," he supplied.

"Why would I?" the eldest Tendo asked, "It's not like it's never happened before. Although Ryouga's lucky that Father didn't kill him that first time." She began to muse, "Falling asleep in my arms and then having the nerve to change in the furo."

"Change?" Kasumi asked again.

"Later, Kasumi," Ranma whispered. "Um Akane, want lunch?" he asked in a normal tone.

"No thanks, Ranma-honey. Ryouga fixed me and Ukyo a quick bite."

# # # # #

"We went ice skating that day, didn't we?" Nabiki questioned interrupting the story. Ranma halted the tale to grin at her. "Boy, was that a blast!"

"Ice skating?" was the eldest Saotome daughter's reply.

"You bet, Nabiki," Akane said and turned to her children, "Your dad and I... and Ryouga..." She grinned at her husband. "Had this match against the Golden Pair. One of them was Azusa."

"Oh..."

"So anyway," Nabiki continued, "Here are these three cute and..." pointing to herself, "one VERY cute kids..."

"But there were five kids... right, Aunty Nabiki?"

"Well, your Aunt Kasumi was eight so I suppose you could call her '_sweet_' with those long pigtails she was sporting." This elicited a snort from Soun and Ranma who then grinned at each other. "Any who, nutty Azusa tries to pull one of her typical stunts..."

# # # # #

Azusa Shiratori skated about the ice rink, only mildly annoyed that Mikado wasn't there. There were other cute things, like the fish cake she had found, or the shiny gold pen. As the one member of the Golden Pair zipped past the entrance to the rink, she recognized one of its members, a teenage boy with a pigtail.

Turning, she skated backwards to watch as Ranma Saotome and Akane Tendo marshaled their young charges onto the ice. The oldest child, Akane's little sister she thought, powered away from the teens with pigtails flailing behind, and blew past Azusa at top speed. The famous high school skating champ giggled at the exasperated look Akane got on her face. She skidded to a stop kicking up a spray of ice then reversed direction back towards the teenaged duo.

It was then she got a good look at the little kids with them. 'Cute!' Little kids were fun; they understood Azusa on levels that her peers didn't. The cuter the child, the better. And these certainly were.

"Maki!" Ranma shouted as one of the five year olds broke free and tore off after Kasumi. The eight year old by this point looked like she was trying to break the sound barrier.

Azusa squealed with delight when she spotted little Ukyo. 'Charlotte?' The four year old had on a pair of pink skates and looked very adorable.

# # # # #

"Of course," Nabiki drawled, "Azusa was more interested in the skates than Ukyo... although she kept offering to give little Ukyo (or _Charlotte_ as she kept calling her) lessons." Her nieces laughed at the picture. "Ukyo didn't want anything to do with her and bawled her head off anytime Azusa came around."

"Were you a good skater, Aunt Nabiki?"

"Me?" Nabiki questioned with a snort.

# # # # #

'OW!' Nabiki thought and glared at the ice, "Stupid thing!" She smacked it hard with her hand.

"You just can't sit there," someone commented from behind her. Turning her head, Nabiki saw that it was Kasumi.

"Lots easier," the youngster replied.

"Come on, Sis," the eight year old invited and helped her little sister up onto her skates.

"'Sumi, I didn't know you could skate." Nabiki remembered herself and Akane doing some when they were younger but that's seemed like a dream.

"Me either," Kasumi remarked and then giggled, "But it is really fun."

"I can't do it!" Nabiki lamented and then in a lower tone commented, "My bottom's getting whacked more than if I was naughty."

"I'll help you, Nabiki," her big sister offered. She put one arm around Nabiki's waist to steady the wobbly girl.

"Where's Maki?" The five year old followed the older girl's glance and saw Maki trying to coax a terrified looking Yuriko onto the ice. Akane was looking more than a little concerned.

Nabiki was about to say something when a stiff breeze suddenly kicked up knocking her sideways. Thankfully, Kasumi kept her on her feet. Both Tendo children watched as Ranma, Ukyo tucked under one arm and giggling with delight, rushed at top speed away from Azusa who was in hot pursuit yelling, "Charlotte! Come back!"

"I didn't think Ranma could skate," Kasumi commented.

"Guess he can, 'Sumi," Nabiki remarked. 'Otherwise, he'd be in real trouble.' "Let's go get Yuri."

Thankfully for Ranma and Ukyo, Mikado showed up shortly afterwards and reined in his partner, although the act was rather painful. The rest of the afternoon was spent happily playing. With Kasumi's help, even Yuriko lost her fear of ice skating.

# # # # #

After dropping Maki, Yuriko, and Ukyo off at their respective homes, Ranma and the others walked to the Cat Café. "Nihau!" Shampoo greeted them. She was more than happy to see Ranma and the children. She then looked despairingly at his teenage companion. "Future Husband no make Akane have baby yet," the Chinese Amazon commented as she was seating them. "Ranma should practice now so when marry Shampoo, he have no trouble."

Nabiki stared blankly at the older girl. She had no idea what she was talking about. Kasumi giggled. Akane and Ranma were blushing. "That's not something to discuss in front of children, Shampoo," Akane commented.

'Errr...' Ranma thought, 'She can't seriously think...' The fact that Akane still had Dr. Tofu's pressure point manual wasn't very encouraging either.

"Husband need learn sometime," Shampoo replied, "Unless going be monk." He obviously was going to be a good father to their future children judging by how he interacted with Akane's two sisters. "So what want?"

After ordering, Akane turned to her sister and asked, "Did you have fun today, Kasumi?" The eight year old nodded. "That's good, and you helped a lot too. I'm proud of you."

"Suck up," Nabiki remarked, although with a grin.

"It doesn't hurt to be a good girl, Nabiki," Ranma commented while giving the youngster, who just giggled, a stern look.

"Hmmm... So what were you up to today?" came the voice of Cologne. Turning, the four of them saw the Amazon elder bouncing towards them on her staff.

"Ice skating," Kasumi cheerfully replied. Cologne stopped momentarily, stared at the little girl oddly, and then shook her head. "What?"

"Nothing," the old woman replied with a dismissive wave of her hand, "I just thought I..." She glanced at Nabiki and then continued, "I have a special treat you can try after you're done eating."

"Ice scream?" the kindergartner hoped.

"Now that would be telling, child," the Amazon elder answered and hopped away. Moments later, Shampoo arrived with their order.

"Is good? Yes?" Shampoo questioned. "Shampoo make special."

"Very nice, Shampoo," Akane replied.

"Yep!" Kasumi seconded. Ranma nodded. Not hearing from Nabiki, four pairs of eyes turned in the little girl's direction. It was only then that they saw that Nabiki was trying to imitate Genma-panda's eating habits. The fact that she was putting on a good showing was more than a little disconcerting.

"Shampoo!" Cologne called out, "I have an order for you."

"Yes Great-Grandmother... Shampoo be back in split-second," the busty purple-haired teen declared, "Make delivery and then walk Husband home."

# # # # #

Shampoo gingerly flew along the streets and fence-tops of Nerima on her bicycle making her ramen delivery. Her mind barely registered the evening traffic; it was too busy playing games with an imaginary Ranma Saotome.

She pondered the situation with Akane Tendo. 'Why Ranma want silly flat-chested Apron Girl?' The eldest Tendo sister was not a martial artist, which meant she couldn't fight her. That would not be honorable. Ranma (and her own Amazon law) held honor as being very important. It would also make Shampoo lose face. 'Too bad he no like crazy Ribbon Girl.' Kodachi, now there was a rival she would battle, had battled for Ranma's favor. Little Kasumi had potential but was no threat. Even her little sisters Ling-Ling and Lung-Lung could take the eight year old in a fight. Maybe she could challenge Akane to some less violent contest like cooking.

Yes, Ranma would be her husband some day. Of that, she had no doubt. The busty teen smiled at that thought, failing to see that she had just run a red light. 'Now where Great-Grandmother say Shampoo make delivery?' She dug in her top, all the while peddling. 'Where paper go?' She shoved her hand deeper in. 'Come on...' She could feel it rubbing against her skin. 'Come here!' she thought angrily and snatched at it. "Shampoo got you!" she declared aloud as two fingers snagged the errant scrap of paper.

Her words seemed to be echoed in a gurgling roar. The teen's head whipped around to find the source of the noise. She felt her jaw swing open as something monstrous sprang from a nearby fire hydrant. "Aiya!" Shampoo cried, trying to leap away from her bicycle but the tentacles that the creature had were quicker. They shot out and she kicked at them but they grasped at her. She tried to produce one of her bonbori but could not as more tentacles, shimmering translucent blue wrapped about her arms.

"So close..." the monster seemed to gurgle.

"Monster let Shampoo go!" the enraged Amazon shouted as its grip tightened about her. She struggled and increased her efforts when she felt something strange happening to her. "**NO!**" she cried out as her ample bosom deflated like popped balloons flat against her chest. The silk of her flowered red blouse hung loosely on her. "Shampoo make monster pay!" But her arms as she tried to strike the creature shrank, growing smaller, shorter, as her legs shrank.

'Shampoo be quick!' the purple-haired girl told herself as she its grip slacking slightly. Taking advantage of the opportunity and with a violent twist, she dropped to the ground. She felt off-balance and her clothing, now much looser, wrapped itself about her legs.

Never one to back down from a fight, Shampoo leapt forward out of her oversized bicycle shorts and shoes. She stood in the clear her top now hanging down to her knees. The creature startled reared back to press its attack. In that moment, a jet of cool water hit the Amazon, triggering her transformation and smashing her backwards into the creature's grip.

End of Chapter 10

Coming next in **Chapter 11 - The Kitten Kaper**

"Shoujo Fiction™ and the Shoujo Fiction™ logo are a Trademark of Douglas Helm and Will Wolfshohl. Copyrighted ©2002-2003, All Rights Reserved.


	11. Chapter 11 The Kitten Kaper

**Just a Little Time**  
By Douglas Helm and _"Tuxedo"_ Will Wolfshohl  
Continuing a Ranma ½ story kernel by Dark Oni

Those characters that are original and the story "_Just a Little Time_" are copyrighted ©2003-2004 ShoujoFiction dot com domain by Douglas Helm and Will Wolfshohl. Original kernel copyrighted ©1998 by Dark Oni.

This story and dozens of our other stories reside at **ShoujoFiction dot com** . Comments are welcomed.

**Chapter 11 - The Kitten Kaper**

**C**ologne paced back and forth atop the pick-up counter of her restaurant. "Where is that child?" she questioned aloud. Realizing what she was doing, the Chinese Amazon elder made herself settle into a nearby chair. 'I'm getting too old for this.' After perhaps another fifteen minutes, Cologne's annoyance had come to a boil. 'I told her to wait for Mousse!'

"Mousse!" the old woman called out, "Mousse!"

"Yes Honored Elder?" Mousse asked while coming out of the kitchen.

"Go find Shampoo and bring her home." When he seemed reluctant to do this, the woman scowled. "Well, what are you waiting for, boy?"

"Cologne," sometimes-duck began in a carefully controlled voice, "Shampoo does not like to listen to me in such things." The memory of the last time he had been sent out to retrieve Cologne's great-granddaughter surfaced. She spotted him, splashed him with cold water, and made her getaway. The fowl had almost ended up on the menu of another Chinese restaurant.

The old Amazon scowled even more and then sighed. "You're right. Mousse, watch the shop. I won't be long." Not pausing to check if he would agree, the tiny elder hopped out of the Cat Café on her staff.

# # # # #

Soun Tendo sat in the living room of his house watching television while his two houseguests battled over a cookie. "Give it here. That's mine!" Ranma shouted as he attempted to retrieve the cookie that his father had pilfered.

"_A martial artist must be aware at all times_," Genma-panda's sign read. He swatted his son away with his paw and held the treat up in the air.

"What are you talking about, old man? I was just about to eat it!" Ranma roared while grappling his father's furry arm and simultaneously flaring one leg to ensnare the prized cookie. At that moment, both Saotomes heard an exasperated voice coming from the hallway and the running of small feet.

"Nabiki Tendo, get your butt back here!"

"I don't wanna go to bed!" the five year old shouted in reply. An instant later, the youngster materialized in the living room wearing only her Hello Kitty® underpants.

"Nabiki..." Akane said in a sterner tone, "You were really good today. Please don't be naughty now."

"But I don't wanna go to bed!" Nabiki shouted back, her hands on her hips. The youngster gave a little squeak as her big sister came into the room.

Wheeling around, the little girl dove under the table. This might have been more impressive if the table had been lower. Genma-panda, having the same idea, had managed to hide under the table. Therefore, it wasn't much of a feat for a small child to accomplish.

Akane gave a muted growl, glanced at her fiancé and future father-in-law (who hadn't moved during the entire episode), and dove after her wayward sister.

"Lemme go!" Nabiki squeaked out.

"Come out here this instant, young lady!" Akane commanded.

"NO!" Nabiki cried.

"Come here!" Akane shouted and pulled the squirming child. A moment later, her hand came out with a set of underpants but without Nabiki who had taken the opportunity to dart out the other side. "Oh my..."

"Na-na!" the naked five year old taunted before leaping up and snagging the cookie Ranma and Genma had been arguing over.

"Nabiki..." Akane shouted but the child had already run from the room. Turning, she glared at the three men. "Don't just stand there. Help me!"

"_Ranma would be more than happy to help, Akane-dear_," Genma's sign commented. Then he summarily tossed his son into the koi pond.

"Stupid old man!" the wet little redheaded girl yelled.

"_Shall we go to the baths, Tendo?_" the sign read.

"A capital idea, Saotome!" Soun replied. "Don't wait up, Akane-dear."

"Cowards," Akane grumbled as both fathers left the room.

# # # # #

Kasumi Tendo was torn between which of her sisters to help. The former eldest Tendo sister wanted to demonstrate to her older sister that she could be responsible, which meant helping Akane corral their little sister into bed. This brought back memories of chasing Akane sometimes when Akane was little. On the other hand, she wanted to show that she could be a cool big sister. That would entail helping Nabiki remain at large as long as possible. Given Akane's mood though, the latter choice would be a dangerous proposition. Moreover, since their father was out of the house, she would be forced to deal with her teenage sister sooner than later for any indiscretions. That would not be a pleasant prospect.

Her decision became easier when she discovered that Ranma had changed. This opened up a neutral course. So as Akane continued to chase her sister about the house, Kasumi managed to get little Ranma into a pair of cute pink bunny pajamas she'd found.

It was while Kasumi was brushing Ranma's red hair into two pigtails like her own that Nabiki reappeared. She ran into the bedroom and then started inching into a corner. "Young lady," Akane stated in a very firm voice, "Last chance. Put your pajamas on right now and go to bed, or you'll get a spanking."

The eight year old looked over towards her sister who appeared to be giving it serious consideration. 'What's she thinking?' Kasumi wondered, 'Akane looks really really mad.' Why was Nabiki acting this way? This puzzled her. It was Nabiki who repeatedly warned her about being "_good_" around their former little sister. Meanwhile, Ranma felt fear for her best friend.

Nabiki for her part wasn't really bothered by Akane's temper. She had been, to her way of thinking, extra good all day and she was now just blowing off a little steam. She would go to bed soon enough. It was just she wasn't ready for bed at that particular moment.

"Well, young lady?" her older sister prompted.

The former teen stuck a finger into her mouth and chewed on it for a moment as she swayed back and forth on her heels. "Bed or a spankin'?" she questioned about the finger, which happily tasted like the cookie she'd been eating earlier. "Yes," was the firm reply.

Now the youngster certainly had not liked the few spankings she had received in her life. Then again, if she got to stay up as late as she wanted in the future, then a few swats to her rear now would be worth it. Grinning, she prepared to give her reply.

# # # # #

Cologne managed to find Shampoo, now a very tiny and sopping wet purple kitten, near the canal. The tiny feline sneezed and mewed pitifully as the old Amazon gathered it up. "You know, Shampoo," she began, "I have a good mind not to change you back!" She felt affection for her great-granddaughter but sometimes that affection got in the way of being as firm as she should be. Her first priority as Shampoo's guardian after all was to make sure she grew up into a fine Amazon warrior.

"Meewwww," was the sad response.

"If we were back home in China, I'd..." The old Amazon sighed. 'I'll save the scolding until we get home.' People would think she was nuts scolding a kitten as if it was an errant child. The fact that it wasn't didn't really matter. She picked up her great-granddaughter's discarded school uniform lying on the ground a few yards away and they headed for home.

Cologne was pleased to see that Mousse had prepared hot water and laid out clean clothing for Shampoo in her room. "Mousse, close up shop. Shampoo and I are going to talk." The teen nodded and moved towards what he apparently thought was the door. Leaving the nearly blind martial artist to his fate, Cologne carried the kitten and the teakettle of hot water up to her room. Once there, she used the hot water to change her great-granddaughter back to human form.

"Great-Grandmother..."

"**Silence!**" the elder commanded, "Child, you're going to listen to me but first get dressed."

Shampoo was more than a little distressed to see the clothing her great-grandmother held out to her. It was juvenile; something like her younger sisters Ling-Ling and Lung-Lung might have worn. The proud Amazon warrior stood up and only then realized that Cologne appeared a lot taller than she normally did. "Great-Grandmother, you take growing potion?" she inquired curiously not noticing the higher pitch of her voice.

"Shampoo!" Cologne's voice rose slightly, "If we back in our village, I'd put you under the care of the herding master!"

Shampoo's cheeks went pink as she sucked in her breath. That was a very serious threat, especially to a true Amazon warrior. After all, the herding master was male. Even worse, herding was a task that only males in their village performed.

"Now get dressed," the old woman commanded in a more normal voice.

Reluctantly, Shampoo reached out but stopped - her arms were different - they were smaller though still toned. Her hands looked smaller as well. She glanced down towards her chest and let out a scream. Cologne's patience was wearing thin. It was with great effort that she kept her temper in check while Shampoo ranted on about monsters and her missing "_hoo-hoos_".

"Shampoo go kill fiend!" she declared and stalked towards the door completely oblivious to her state of undress.

Cologne's staff blocked her path though. "Dress! NOW!"

Grumbling, Shampoo changed. The old woman sighed and regarded her nine year old great-granddaughter. The purple-haired youth had a great deal of energy and was sometimes mischievous, which landed her into situations she shouldn't really be in.

"Shampoo, didn't I tell you to wait for Mousse?" she asked in Chinese.

"Great-Grandmother didn't say anything. Besides, why should I wait for stupid Mousse?"

"Because you're only nine years old and you shouldn't be wandering around this big city all alone at night, especially Nerima."

"I'm a warrior!" Shampoo protested, "And I'm not nine, a monster attacked me!"

"Telling tall tales will only get you in deeper trouble, child."

"Shampoo not lying!" Shampoo countered in Japanese then pointed at herself, "Shampoo sixteen. This not Shampoo's normal body!"

Cologne took a deep breath, let it out, and demanded, "I want you to tell me how you got splashed, and then, I want you to apologize to Mousse."

"Shampoo already tell Great-Grandmother but she act like violent tomboy and no listen. Mousse is too too stupid. Shampoo no apologize."

# # # # #

Before Nabiki could retort to her sister's challenge, Ranma chimed in by saying, "Akane, please don't be mad at Nabsy. She's a good girl!" It was only at this point that Nabiki and Akane noticed they had an audience.

The little brunette looked mildly surprised although pleased that her friend was defending her. Then she noticed the redhead's new additions. "Your hair is REALLY pretty, Ranma. You fix it, 'Sumi?"

"Yep!" Kasumi answered matter-of-factly. 'And it looks really cute now.' Much better than that old single braid he always wore.

Akane permitted herself a long-suffering sigh. Marching over, she lifted Ranma up and settled the five year old on one hip. She turned to her youngest sister and said, "Nabiki, you better get changed and in bed before Ranma gets back."

"Where I go?" Ranma questioned.

"To get some hot water, honey."

"NO!" the little redhead squeaked. The big bully always took Akane's side although she couldn't fathom why. She started to wiggled but the older girl had a firm grip on her.

Kasumi gave her big sister a disappointed look as Akane left the room before returning her attention to Nabiki. "Are you nuts?" she whispered not looking happy at that point.

"Huh?"

"Akane's really POed."

"Nah!" the child waived a hand.

"Gee, Nabiki, then hurry up and get changed and go apologize to her."

"NO WAY!"

The pigtailed brunette gave her younger sister an exasperated look. "Why not?"

"'Cuz, 'Sumi, my BE-HIND ain't goin' nowhere near no grownup right now."

# # # # #

Ranma, now dripping wet with only a towel around his waist to protect his modesty, stared at Akane. Akane, this Akane, wasn't acting right. She should've left or yelled or something but she was just standing there admiring him. She had carried him down the hall, a firm grip preventing his younger form from fleeing. In the process, she had gotten some clothes for him, striped the bunny pajamas Kasumi had dressed his cursed form in, wrapped a towel around him, got her charge into the bathroom, and finally, splashed the little redhead with warm water.

Now transformed back into his normal sixteen year old self, he shifted nervously making sure to keep the towel in front of him. "Um Akane, can I have my clothes?" Akane grinned, blushed slightly, and handed Ranma some clothing.

"Sorry..." She quickly turned her back to him. "Don't be mad at Kasumi."

"Why would I be mad at Kasumi?" he wondered, feeling more secure since he had donned his boxers. Then he remembered the pigtails. "Oh that..."

"Well, I know you get upset about being changed."

"Not all the time, Akane," he replied then sighed and undid his new feminine pigtails. "I'm not mad. It's not all her fault. Kasumi's just..."

Akane turned her head enough to observe he had his boxers on then turned fully to face him. "Think I'm still being mean, Ranma-honey?" she questioned coyly.

"No!" Ranma exclaimed, "I mean... You know it's that younger part. She's Nabiki's _bestest_ friend and all."

"Bestest?" He reddened which caused Akane to giggle. Gaining some decorum, she asked, "Can you read Kasumi a story tonight?"

"Whatcha gonna do, Akane?" Ranma wondered, pulling on his shirt.

"Put Nabiki to bed."

"Want me to give it a try?"

"No... This is something I need to deal with."

# # # # #

Kasumi had been able to intimidate her sister into getting dressed. However, she had not managed to convince her that it was time for bed. The pigtailed eight year old had hit a brick wall in that regard. She was getting annoyed about it because it was obvious that Nabiki was getting sleepy. The youngest of the Tendo daughters was just too stubborn to admit it.

Kasumi was just considering her options when the door opened. Ranma came in followed by Akane. "Kasumi," Ranma began in a calm tone, "Why don't you get a storybook, and I'll read you a story."

"'Kay," Kasumi agreed after a moment's thought. Ranma was normally the last person she'd ask a story from. On the other hand, he was the best choice right now.

"I wanna story too!" Nabiki squealed.

"No, young lady," Akane countered, "You're going right to bed."

"Ain't gonna happen, buster!"

Kasumi scurried over the small bookcase in their room, grabbed a Dr. Seuss® book, and went back to where Ranma was waiting. He lifted her up into his arms and she found that she didn't mind it. It was nice being hugged.

"Come," Ranma said and started out the door.

"Nabiki. Bed. **NOW!**" Akane commanded.

As the bedroom door closed, Ranma and Kasumi heard Nabiki make a nasty comment, which apparently involved monkey poo.

"Is Nabiki gonna get a spanking?"

Ranma shook his head. "Doubt it, Kasumi. Nabiki always weasels out of things like that."

# # # # #

"Now," Cologne began while peering through the wire mesh of a cat carrier, "You stay in there 'til morning. I'll give you one thing, Shampoo. You fight well for your age."

The white and purple-furred kitten mewed unhappily. Shortly the lights went out downstairs and the main floor of the Cat Café was in darkness. Shampoo scrabbled to get out but quickly grew fatigued.

She slunk back to the very back of the cat carrier, curled up, and stared through the window at the only source of light, a streetlight. As a child, even an older child of about ten, she had been scared of the dark. She still didn't like the dark but managed to suppress the fear. But now, in her kitten form, in her smaller body, she felt the old fear return with a vengeance. She was totally defenseless and alone. She prayed that the streetlight would not go out. That the creature that had changed her would not come back and consume her tiny body.

# # # # #

Sometime later that night, Genma Saotome (back in human form) and Soun Tendo were walking home. "Saotome, do you think," Soun began, "That Akane and Ranma will wed soon?"

Genma for his part was silent for a few moments. "I think it might be better to let them pick their own time, Tendo."

"Why?"

"Because they are in love and they WILL carry on '_The Art_.'" Genma sighed. "The boy also mentioned something about striking out on his own. We certainly can't have that."

Soun paused and walked over to a fence overlooking over a construction site. One of the massive holes was filled with water. For a moment, it glowed faintly blue. "Ranma may want to rename the dojo," he mused with tears running down his face.

"I doubt it, Tendo," Genma disagreed, joining his longtime friend by the fence. "You're not like the Master. Ranma respects you." He grinned slightly. "And if he does, there is always Kasumi... or even little Nabiki." Soun regarded Genma as if he had suddenly sprouted giant neon pink antlers. "Kasumi is heir to the school and she won't be marrying Ranma. And who knows what Nabiki will become."

"When will you tell Nodoka?"

Genma gulped. "I had planned to see her when Ranma and I returned from our training trip to China. The boy was truly becoming a man among men. But then, we went to that wretched spring and became cursed. A cute little girl is not something manly. Nodoka would surely make us both commit seppuku over the disgrace." He shuddered. "No, Tendo, I think we'd best forget my fair wife until we can figure out how to reverse our curses." The part-time panda stared up at the gibbous moon overhead. "It's getting late."

"Yes," Tendo agreed, "Let's head home, Saotome."

# # # # #

Ranma wasn't sure whether to be annoyed or amused with Kasumi. The eight year old with two white ribbons holding her pigtails, still looking sleepy, apparently wanted to be cuddled this morning. She had plopped herself squarely onto his lap and hadn't budged since. It irked him because Kasumi hadn't acted all that friendly towards him in the past. Sure, the former nineteen year old maiden had been polite enough to him and a fantastic cook, but she always seemed oblivious to his unending problems with her younger sisters. Her regression had changed everything.

What did amuse the pigtailed martial artist was the fact that Nabiki was shooting jealous looks at her sister. For some reason though, the kindergartener wasn't attempting to dislodge her sister from the prized spot. Regardless, given that his father was not up yet, Ranma took the opportunity to consume more than his typical share of Akane's fine cooking. He would miss that talent if they returned to normal.

Nabiki was frustrated to some extent. She wanted to sit with her boyfriend but that would mean dislodging her sister. Kasumi said she wasn't mad so she really wasn't worried too much about her. However, it might provoke Akane, something Nabiki very much wanted to avoid especially after last night. The little girl couldn't understand why Kasumi was being so nice to Ranma. It wasn't as if he was mad at her for dressing him up. He had laughed about it when the subject had been brought up.

Kasumi for her part was looking out through the open living room door, across the engawa to the pond in the backyard. The day was turning out to be unseasonably warm and sunny. She was feeling very content at the moment. She hadn't realized how nice it was simply to snuggle against Ranma. She didn't want him to be a boyfriend but it was comforting, like a big brother.

Into this peaceful silence, Akane asked, "Are you going to practice, Ranma-honey? I thought I heard Father stirring when I was cooking breakfast."

"Yeah, Pop and him should've been up by now," Ranma commented, "Think they went out somewhere after the baths?"

"No," Akane gave an annoyed look, "They were out in the dojo late. I think they were talking about the w-e-d-d-i-n-g."

Neither little girl reacted. Ranma sighed in relief as he silently thanked the Kami. "Kasumi, wanna go for a walk to get warmed up?"

"'Kay," the pigtailed eight year old chirped while shifting to stand up.

"Hey! What about me?" Nabiki complained.

"Honesty. You know you're grounded to the house, young lady," Akane reminded her firmly. She ignored the pout her youngest sister developed at that pronouncement. Turning to Kasumi, she suggested, "Maybe you can go by the Cat Café and ask Grandmother Cologne if she'll let Shampoo come over to play."

'Play?' Ranma wondered, 'She means spar... No problem. Shampoo can maybe show Kasumi some easier moves.' Looking down at Kasumi, he said, "Go get changed, Kasumi, and I'll meet you out front."

"Right!" Kasumi replied and started skipping out of the room. She didn't get very far because she ran right into Genma who was looking sleepy. "Sorry, Mr. Saotome."

"That's all right, Kasumi-dear," he responded with a large yawn and patted the child gently on the head.

# # # # #

Shampoo stopped her sweeping and for the umpteenth time looked down at herself. The childish clothing lacked its usual flare. Then again, Shampoo had no '_flare_' left. Sadly, her bountiful bosom had vanished along with her seductive curves. In fact, she was quite convinced that if she had short hair, people might easily mistake her for a boy. This thought made her wince.

"Are you finished sweeping yet?" came Cologne's voice from the kitchen.

"Almost, Great-Grandmother!" Shampoo called back before sighing again. The new youngster was tired. Cologne had roused her early from a restless sleep and changed her into human form. What followed then were training exercises. All of them proved that Cologne was still the same old taskmaster. Breakfast had been fairly normal compared to the last twelve hours.

The purple-haired girl abruptly stopped sweeping again when she sensed someone behind her. Quickly pivoting, she took on a defensive stance and then relaxed it slightly once she recognized Mousse. "Shampoo," he remarked to a vase of flowers on a table a few feet from her, "If you hurry, maybe you can come shopping with me."

Shampoo stared up at him; Mousse was certainly different. He had none of the fawning tones in his speech. It bothered Shampoo. Of course, she had no interest in Mousse for a mate; on the other hand, this one was not so unswervingly supportive of her either. The Amazon girl suspected that this Mousse would risk his life for her but more out of duty to their tribe than love.

"Shampoo no wanna go with silly Mousse," the little girl replied.

"Suit yourself," the sight-challenged martial artist replied in a tone that suggested he was relieved.

"Hey, Old Ghoul!" came a very familiar voice, and that voice sounded normal, "Are ya in here?" She turned just as Ranma, followed by a girl she didn't recognize not much younger than her new age, entered their restaurant.

"**NIHAU RANMA!**" the young purple-haired girl cried in delight. The teen was startled by the familiar exclamation. A split-second later, he stared dumbfounded as a miniature version of Shampoo rushed forward.

"Sham..." She flung herself at him and hugged him about the neck; she was unable to glomp him properly because of her smaller size. "Poo?" 'Oh no, she got attacked too.'

"What's all the ruckus?" Cologne demanded, coming from the kitchen.

"Ranma here!" Shampoo declared happily while snuggling closer to the bewildered looking martial artist.

"I can see that, child," the old woman remarked, hopping towards her future son-in-law.

"Has little friend too," Shampoo commented.

The Amazon elder glanced towards where her great-granddaughter was pointing. It took an instant for her to register what she was seeing and then promptly proceeded to fall off of her staff.

"Great-Grandmother! You okay?" Shampoo exclaimed and let go of Ranma who was looking rather concerned. He glanced towards Kasumi who was looking just as surprised.

"I'm all right!" her guardian snapped. "Ranma, WHAT did you do to Kasumi?"

"Kasumi no here," Shampoo countered.

"Of course, she is!" Cologne argued in a tight voice. She jabbed a boney finger in the direction of Kasumi who felt it necessary to hide behind her mentor. "Why is she so small?"

"Kasumi get small like Shampoo?" the part-time feline questioned, now trying to get a better look at the eight year old hiding behind her future husband. At this point, Cologne turned to Shampoo.

While no emotion crossed Cologne's face, it was apparent that something profound had happened because she sighed in a gusty breath, "I'm too old for this."

End of Chapter 11

Coming next in **Chapter 12 - Small Battles**

"Shoujo Fiction™ and the Shoujo Fiction™ logo are a Trademark of Douglas Helm and Will Wolfshohl. Copyrighted ©2002-2003, All Rights Reserved.


	12. Chapter 12 Small Battles

**Just a Little Time**  
By Douglas Helm and _"Tuxedo"_ Will Wolfshohl  
Continuing a Ranma ½ story kernel by Dark Oni

Those characters that are original and the story "_Just a Little Time_" are copyrighted ©2003-2004 ShoujoFiction dot com domain by Douglas Helm and Will Wolfshohl. Original kernel copyrighted ©1998 by Dark Oni.

This story and dozens of our other stories reside at **ShoujoFiction dot com** . Comments are welcomed.

**Chapter 12 - Small Battles**

"**H**ow did you know?" Cologne, now ensconced on a chair in a small sitting room in the back of her café, stared mute at her questioner. Ranma, still wary when it came to the elder, was leaning beside the door with his arms crossed. "I mean, did you set this up, did you Old Ghoul?"

"No!" the old woman snapped sharply. She frowned. "Open the door, Son-in-law, and make sure that those two aren't lurking about." The teen sighed but complied. He opened the door and peered out into the hall.

"No sign of 'em," he announced as he shut the door.

"What I'm about to tell you is not for children's ears," she cautioned more sharply than she originally intended. Shampoo and Kasumi had been sent off to "_play_". It distressed the old woman that Kasumi did so happily. Shampoo grumbled at first but failed to resist following the little pigtailed brunette.

"Well?"

"First, I don't know what it is."

"Whatcha mean 'You DON'T know'?"

Cologne made a silencing motion with her hand. "I didn't say I didn't have any idea, Ranma. I just said I didn't know WHAT it was. It could be an oni or some other entity. We never found out."

"Oh... You mean you just don't know what KIND of monster it is." He cracked his knuckles.

"Who says it's a monster?" Ranma raised an eyebrow. "For all we know, it could just be lonely and simply want young playmates." The pigtailed teen rolled his eyes at this.

"We don't have time for this, Cologne. I say we go hunt it down and kill it."

"And what will that do, Son-in-law?"

"Change everything back." Cologne stared at him. After a moment, he added, "Won't it?"

The ancient Amazon held the male's defiant gaze for several seconds before speaking slowly, "I have a vague idea of what this creature might be. If it is..." and here Cologne looked stern, "IF it is, then killing it will simply make this reality permanent."

"Oh man!"

"So unless you like..."

"I don't!"

"So tell me EXACTLY what happened, Ranma," Cologne commanded.

The telling took several minutes. He described his own attack and then, what Nabiki had told him of her and her friends' attack. Kasumi's and Ukyo's he described in more vague detail. When it was done, the old woman appeared slightly troubled. Ranma didn't like it.

"I must do some digging."

"Great. So you've got a handle on this thing?"

"It might be..." She held her chin in her hand. "But our legends..."

"Not more of that 3000 year old Amazon stuff."

"Oh shut up, stupid boy!" Cologne thundered. "Don't you see?"

"This thing's gots you scared, huh Old Ghoul?" Ranma winced as the Amazon elder brought her staff sharply down on his head. "Hey..." He rubbed his head. "Well, it's got your hair in a knot anyway." The staff came up again but paused in mid-strike.

"Yes, and with good reason, boy. The creature I'm thinking of feeds off of '_Chi_'."

He stood puzzled for a moment. "Oh... You mean battle auras like Miss Hinako?" Ranma asked, vaguely wondering if his age-shifting English teacher and the monster were somehow related. Cologne smiled smugly.

"No, Son-in-law... Ki - the Japanese meaning is spirit and this is where your battle aura originates. Chi, as we hold it, is your life being. Your life essence. In Japanese, Chi can mean blood." She shifted slightly to get more comfortable.

"So it's a vampire or something?"

"In a sense." The Amazon sighed. "Some say that the two words share the same meaning. For us, it would be easier to think them as separate."

The teenage martial artist blinked and then nodded slightly. "Okay, so is that why Miss Hinako needs a... whatchama-call-it... conduit to drain the battle aura?"

The elder, though not showing any external emotion, was mildly pleased. "Yes, Son-in-law. It's also why you can so easily disperse Hinako's energy using special pressure points." Easy was not how he'd characterize it. "If she absorbed Chi, life itself, she'd never run out and her first good charge would last her for decades."

"So why didn't the old freak teach her how to do that?"

"Hmmm... Happosai is a lot of things but truly evil is not one of them." The teen scowled, not completely buying that idea.

"So what do we do?"

Cologne sat still for a moment and then rapidly shifted from the chair to her staff. "First, you take Shampoo home with you for a few days. I'll send Mousse off somewhere and close the restaurant."

"HOME?" Ranma looked more than a little alarmed. "Akane will KILL me!"

"I truly doubt it."

"I ain't no babysitter."

"Don't be so thick-headed," Cologne chided, "Son-in... Ranma, listen to me. If this IS the creature I'm thinking of, then we have to stop it soon. Not kill it but stop it before it gets its fill of Chi."

"Why?"

"Because if we don't, then reality will stay the way it is right now and the stupid thing won't wake up for about a hundred years."

"Whoa..."

"Exactly. We know of six people who have been attacked. It might have attacked more we don't know about."

"But then why take Shampoo..."

"I need quiet to research our texts and if yesterday was any indication, she would be underfoot."

'She won't like Akane bossing her around.' But it could be fun watching them interact. "Ah all right... You know it's weird," Ranma remarked as they left the room with Cologne leading the way, "I'm not scared of Shampoo's c-c-c-cat form while I'm a girl now." The Amazon stopped and turned slowly to regard him. "The smaller me likes c... them things you know."

"Interesting..." Cologne said after about a minute of silence and then started moving again.

"**MOUSSE!**" Cologne shouted as they came into the restaurant proper. When the part-time duck came into the room, she spoke rapidly in Chinese. At the end of this, she added in Japanese, "Where's Shampoo and Kasumi?"

"Outside playing, HONORED ELDER," Mousse replied, "I'll get Shampoo's bags." He glared annoyingly at Ranma who shifted nervously before he left in room.

"Jeez, is Mousse in love with Shampoo still?"

"Not to worry, Son-in-law... He's hoping to wed her when she's old enough to gain social status within our tribe." Cologne gave Ranma a wicked grin. "But you'll likely beat him to it, knowing my little great-granddaughter."

"I love Akane," Ranma admitted. It took a second or two for him to really comprehend what he had just said.

"You only love Akane Tendo because reality has changed," Cologne explained gruffly but felt annoyance. She wasn't one hundred percent sure of this but if Shampoo was sixteen instead of nine, her great-granddaughter was bound to have a better chance to marry him even if it wasn't true.

'That's not true!' Ranma protested to himself. He preferred his much more violent, martial arts minded fiancée to the mild Kasumi-like one.

# # # # #

"Violent?" Akane asked her husband, eyebrows raised.

"Only to bricks, dear," Ranma commented which made his daughters giggle, "Although there was that one time you punted me all the way over to Juuban District."

"Now you're making things up, Ranma-honey," Akane sniffed but she had a mischievous glint in her eye.

"Aunt Nabiki?" the Saotome's oldest daughter interjected apparently trying to avoid the inevitable mushy scene between her parents. "Did you get spanked?"

Nabiki looked slightly scandalized and then stated with a wicked grin, "Uh... Minako, I think I'll leave that up to your imaginations." She gave her sister a wink. "Anyway, while your father was trying to stir up trouble..."

"Hey!" her brother-in-law protested.

"Well, it did cause trouble, Ranma," Nabiki replied, "Although interestingly enough not between Shampoo and Kasumi." Nabiki smoothed her hair and continued, "As I was saying..."

# # # # #

Nabiki had started to despair that Ranma and Kasumi wouldn't ever come back. She wanted to play but Akane had her dusting the items she could reach. She was in the living room making abstract patterns with the feather duster when the front door opened. Cropping the duster, the five year old rushed from the room. Her little feet made a quick path to the door and she grinned as Ranma came up. She did not launch herself at Ranma, however, since he was looking grumpy. Kasumi, on the other hand, was looking rather grubby, rather giggly, and had an expression that practically shouted that she had a secret. The youngster was just about to demand what it was when someone else entered the house. It was another girl about the same age as Kasumi. The vaguely familiar girl was carrying a small suitcase.

"Who's that?"

"Shampoo of course, Nabsy-poo," Kasumi replied in a tone that was a little condescending.

Nabiki's brain quickly considered the vocal expression to make and settled on something, uttering, "Holy crap!" There upon, she latched onto Ranma's legs and in a loud voice declared to the purple-haired child, "HE'S MY BOYFRIEND!" Shampoo's finely honed instincts kicked in and she immediately moved to crush her young rival. Nabiki let out an ear-piercing shriek and promptly soiled herself in fright. Meanwhile, Kasumi dove at Shampoo in defense of her little sister and with that, the battle ensued.

Both children toppled to the floor where they wrestled for a moment or two and then, much to the amazement of Nabiki and Ranma along with Akane and the two fathers who had rushed to see what all the commotion was all about, both stopped and broke into giggles.

"For Pete's sake, what's going on?" Akane demanded which produced more giggling from Kasumi. However, Shampoo developed a rather startled look on her face, and then she looked at Ranma and frowned. "Well?" Ranma sighed, wondering where on earth to start.

# # # # #

While Soun dragged his five year old daughter off to get cleaned up, a very nervous Ranma explained Shampoo's presence. Much to his surprise, instead of being angry, Akane smiled, gave Shampoo a massive hug, and said, "Kasumi, take Shampoo up to your room. I'll set out an extra futon for her."

"Right!" Kasumi chirped and led a bewildered looking Shampoo up the stairs.

"Sorry about this, Akane," Ranma began cautiously. As her teen fiancé grinned, she patted him on the head, and walked off humming. The pigtailed youth turned to stare at his father. "What was that about, Pops?"

Genma shrugged. "Beats me, boy... Women do really strange things, especially where kids are concerned." The man shook his head. "First time you threw up on your mother, she bawled her eyes out in happiness." His father sighed. "That type of thing spoils a man. That's why I took you with me."

"Ranma-honey, help me with this please," Akane asked. She was coming down the hall dragging a futon with both hands. Ranma moved to help her and paused at the bottom of the stairs.

For some unknown reason, it struck Ranma odd that sometime in the future, he might be doing this except then, Akane would be his wife. He decided to make father squirm for his comment. "I at least want Mom at our wedding," he shot at his father.

"What?" Genma asked. As if by magic, Soun was suddenly standing there with a very embarrassed looking Nabiki under one arm.

"Pops, I ain't gonna get married without Mom around."

"Oh happy day!" Soun started to dance about, much to Nabiki's terror.

"I'll go get her! You go get the priest, Tendo!" the part-time panda cried.

"Hold it, Father. It's much too early!" Akane protested, "And what about the curse?" The happiness drained from her father. Nabiki sighed in relief.

"Stupid boy!" Genma bellowed, "This is all your fault!" And with that, he punted Ranma through the roof. He landed as usual in the koi pond.

# # # # #

Shampoo looked mournfully down at her chest as she, Kasumi, Nabiki, and Ranma - now in male form - moved out onto the mat of the dojo. 'Violent tomboy has bigger hoo-hoos than me!' The Amazon wasn't pleased over this turn of events. Normally, there was no doubt in her mind that she was the most voluptuous of Ranma's fiancées. Akane looked like a little girl in comparison. She liked the envious looks she received. Things had completely flip-flopped in this crazy reality. "Why Shampoo wear this?" she asked Ranma tugging at the gi.

"'Cause this is a practice. 'Sides, Kasumi and Nabiki gotta to wear one too."

"Shampoo no like."

"Well, I think I saw a pink dress in your suitcase," Kasumi interjected lightheartedly. The once tall Amazon paled. "Gotcha!" the pigtailed girl chorused while giggling; her sister giggled too.

"Shampoo GET you!" With that, the duo started racing about the dojo. Nabiki tried to follow them but it wasn't any use so eventually opted to stand beside Ranma.

"Come on now you two," the pigtailed teen called.

"Shampoo got Kasumi." She had Kasumi in a headlock.

"AFTER we warm up," Ranma corrected.

The purple-haired girl frowned but when it became clear that her boyfriend was not going to budge on the issue, she started stretching like the others. "Shampoo like Ranma's girl-half." The little redhead had been entertaining and she had to admit extremely cute. She cuddled little Ranma until an angry Nabiki got her to stop "_hogging HER friend_". She turned her mind to other matters.

'Kasumi acting strange.' The Amazon considered as she bent backwards. 'She not prissy...' And their first "_play_" session had shown that Kasumi knew a few choice words. The part-time cat had been startled by this and had been even more surprised by Kasumi's relatively tomboyish behavior. What had happened to the prim homemaker she knew? She frowned slightly. 'This something monster do?' She glanced at Nabiki who was bending over touching her toes. 'Mercenary Girl even weirder. She only like money before but now wants Ranma.' It was obvious. What really irritated Shampoo was that Akane apparently did not practice "_The Art_". That meant that she couldn't honorably challenge her rival for Ranma's affection. She normally could kill Akane but given her present state, Shampoo had her doubts. It was also apparent, and this part tore at Shampoo's heart, that Ranma loved Akane openly and worse still, Akane loved Ranma as well.

"Let's go! Let's go!" Nabiki chanted as she tried, vainly, to speed through the warm-ups. The eight year old seemed anxious as well. Shampoo had wandered away from the spunky kindergartner. The little girl's squeaky voice was starting to make her teeth ache.

"Hey Shampoo?" Ranma called.

"What?"

"Wanna match against Kasumi?"

"Yes!" Shampoo would show Ranma who was better suitor and then, she'd think of a way to knock Nabiki out of the picture.

"Well then, come onto the mats. Nabsy, you park yourself over there out of the way." The five year old skipped off to the side and sat down cross-legged, watching intently. Advancing onto the mats, Shampoo produced her bonbori seemingly out of nowhere.

"Kasumi, you wanna a weapon too?" The pigtailed brunette shook her head. "Remember this is just training..." Both girls bowed to each other. "Okay then, ready?" Ranma checked the youngsters and then shouted, "BEGIN!"

Shampoo leapt upwards swinging her bonbori and Kasumi tried a sweep-kick. The Amazon snapped her leg forward in a kick but her opponent dodged and with her right hand grabbed the back of Shampoo's foot. Shampoo was startled when Kasumi shoved her foot higher, taking her off-balance. She fell to the mat with a thud.

Growling slightly, the little Amazon regained her feet quickly and jumped away as Kasumi pressed her attack. Deciding not to use her feet this time, Shampoo launched a barrage of blows with her bonbori. Some her diminutive enemy dodged but most landed as planned. Soon Kasumi was backpedaling trying to avoid the rapid onslaught. Still, the pigtailed girl did not go down.

Much to her surprise, the purple-haired youngster found herself starting to slacken. 'Can't be tired!' She knew she was in better shape than this. Her arms were starting to grow heavier as she swung on Kasumi who was trying to get closer. 'Have to end it!' she thought desperately. With a yell, she lunged at her brown-haired opponent who was just moving forward to attack. The Amazon watched in surprise as her bonbori plowed into Kasumi's stomach. The youth's mouth popped open as if all the air in her body rushed out and her eyes were wide with shock. An instant later, Kasumi had collapsed to the mat sucking in great gulps of air.

"Are you okay, Kasumi?" Ranma asked, coming over to Kasumi.

"Yeah," Kasumi panted.

"What about you?" Ranma asked Shampoo. By way of answer, she flopped down on the mat beside her opponent panting.

"Shampoo's arms feel funny."

"Younger body," he explained, "You two rest while I work with Nabsy." The two girls moved off to the side as their youngest member went to stand by Ranma. As Shampoo watched, her fiancé started running Nabiki through the basics.

'Not bad,' Shampoo thought as she watched. 'But still not good enough for Shampoo.' Perhaps, she could challenge Nabiki to a fight. 'Not death match... Ranma wouldn't permit that.' She frowned slightly as she scrutinized the kindergartner's technique. 'Nabiki trying to copy Kasumi.' Kasumi had regained her breath and was watching her sister in a distracted manner.

After several minutes, Ranma told Nabiki to go and rest. Nabiki thankfully walked over to a corner and flopped to the ground. "You two up for another bout?" Shampoo and Kasumi regarded each other and then both nodded. "Okay then. Shampoo, no weapons this time."

"No problem!" the little Amazon answered, "No outsider beat Amazon warrior."

"Ranma did!" Nabiki piped in.

"That okay. Ranma Shampoo's husband." The five year old shot to her feet but a quelling look from her boyfriend made her sit back down. Moving to the center of the mats, both girls bowed and waited. "BEGIN!"

Almost immediately, Shampoo realized that she was going to have a harder time this round. She only had a slight size and weight advantage. Without her bonbori, she didn't have the reach so she was forced to move in closer. Kasumi seemed to perceive this too and took advantage of it. Moments after the match began, Shampoo found herself in a rather painful hold. She managed to break free but it took a lot of effort. As the match progressed, it was the Amazon who was losing ground. The fact that she was retreating before Kasumi only fueled her embarrassment. And then Shampoo thought she saw her opening. Kasumi faulted slightly, apparently slowing.

"Shampoo get you now, 'Sumi!" she shouted and lunged. That's when Kasumi gave a little evil grin. The little Amazon tried to stop her lunge but her inertia was too great and she fell on the ground face-first. Kasumi stepped forward, twisted, and drove the heel of her hand between Shampoo's shoulder blades. Shampoo kicked Kasumi and jumped to her feet

Meanwhile in a move that completely surprised even Ranma, Kasumi snapped her right leg up and connected with both of Shampoo's calves. The net effect was for Shampoo to do a 180 before landing on the mat with a bone-shaking thud on her back.

"Shampoo, you okay?" Ranma asked while holding out a hand.

"Shampoo surprised."

"So was I," Ranma remarked. 'They are almost evenly matched. Whoda thunk it?' After Kasumi and Shampoo had bowed to each other to end the bout, he instructed, "Walk around a bit. I want 'Sumi to tackle me now." The eight year old suddenly looked apprehensive.

Nabiki at this point decided that she had had enough of a workout. She walked over to Shampoo, touched her, and shouted, "**TAG! YOU'RE IT!**" before racing out of the dojo. Kasumi, seeing a possible escape, raced after her sister.

"Shampoo get Nabiki!" The Amazon raced out of the dojo.

"Oh brother..."

# # # # #

Ranma gave up training for the morning. The game of tag was exercise enough in his view. Nabiki was surprising in that she managed to tag the older girls. He suspected that they were not trying very hard to avoid her. Meanwhile, the pigtailed youth felt restless. Akane was busy and both fathers were playing their typical shogi match (and cheating just as much as normal).

The game of tag ended after Akane came out to tell them to wash for lunch. At this point, Nabiki and Shampoo got into a quarrel as to who was going to sit beside Ranma. Ranma said that only Akane was earning him glares from all three little girls.

# # # # #

Ranma was considering if he should steal Genma's pickled plum or not when Nabiki leapt to her feet and announced in a very authoritative voice, "I challenge 'Poo!" At first, he wasn't sure who "_Poo_" was until Kasumi glanced towards Shampoo and giggled.

"Shampoo will crush enemy!"

"Hey now," Akane warned, "You shouldn't be mean to her. Honesty, Shampoo, it's only a training match." The Amazon frowned.

"That's right. Nabsy's only five."

"Yeah!" the youngster agreed. Ranma sighed.

Later, Soun and Genma had left the house and Akane went off to the market to pick up a few things for supper. The latter worried Shampoo to no end knowing firsthand Akane's infamous talent as a chef. The band of martial artists moved out to the dojo.

Walking around the dojo, Shampoo watched as Ranma and Kasumi sparred. At first, she was puzzled by the way Ranma was behaving. It took her a minute or two to figure out what he was doing. The teen was deliberately presenting fake openings to his little pigtailed opponent to see if she'd fall for them. By the time it was done, Kasumi was exhausted. Ranma had a rather smug expression on his face.

"Break!" Ranma instructed. Kasumi sighed and plodded over to the wall. She was ready to curl up with a book.

"Okay, Nabiki, you and Shampoo can have your match..."

"Really?" the five year old squeaked. 'I'll win and be Ranma's girlfriend!' After all, Kasumi had beaten her.

"Yes," Ranma said. He gave Shampoo a stern look and spoke at a level only she could hear, "Remember, Shampoo, she's only five." Shampoo just grinned and moved to the center of the mats. This would be a cakewalk. Both girls bowed.

Shampoo's confidence vanished almost instantly when her small opponent landed a punch that made Ranma wince. Dancing away, the Amazon scowled at the smug expression on the little girl's face. 'I'll use the same trick as Ranma.' She'd also teach the youngster not to act so cocky. After a moment, Shampoo rushed forward. Just as she had planned, Nabiki dove forward between Shampoo's open legs. The nine year old shut them quickly and squatted. The five year old squeaked in surprise when she realized that she was pinned to the mat, her knees were folded under her, and she couldn't gain any leverage with her feet. That left her arms but she wasn't quite sure what to do.

"Shampoo..." Ranma warned.

"Shampoo no hurt Nabiki bad." And with that said, the girl smacked Nabiki's rump. "Give up?"

"NO!" the child shouted and squirmed as Shampoo slapped her backside again. Ranma gave Nabiki a few moment's grace but it was becoming obvious that the youngster was in trouble and moreover, that Shampoo wasn't going to stop until Nabiki said she gave up.

"Okay," Ranma demanded starting forward, "Shampoo, let..."

"NO!" Nabiki shouted while wiggling vainly. 'I gotta win!'

"Say you give Ranma to Shampoo and Shampoo quit," Shampoo remarked conversationally. Her hand was just shooting down for another swat when she gave a yelp of pain and surprise. She scrambled away from the little girl.

"What happened?" Ranma asked looking concerned. Nabiki, teary-eyed but looking smug, got to her feet while rubbing her backside.

"She bite Shampoo!" she shouted while rubbing her big toe.

"That's why they call it ANYTHING-GOES Martial Arts!" Kasumi broke into a fit of giggles.

# # # # #

That evening in the furo, Shampoo announced firmly, "Shampoo no go school! Shampoo is warrior!"

"You havta, Shampoo," Kasumi argued. The youngest Tendo nodded in agreement. "Akane will make you."

"Shampoo no like this Akane."

"Why not?" Nabiki asked in a challenging voice.

"Akane not violent. Is too too close to Shampoo's Ranma."

"Ranma's mine!"

"Shhh!" the middle Tendo admonished. "We can't argue. Akane will marry Ranma." Nabiki didn't seem to catch that.

"Me wish monster not make Shampoo little."

"Don't worry. Ranma will beat that old monster," Nabiki interjected, "'N' we can be happy."

"You mean change back, Nabsy?"

"No, be happy."

"Back is happy. Shampoo get big again and have hoo-hoos."

"I wish I were big like Akane. She's so pretty..."

"Nabiki was big."

"Was not!" Nabiki disagreed, "Don't fib!"

The purple-haired youth decided to change the subject. "When violent tomboy learn how to cook, 'Sumi?"

"This Akane can," Kasumi said wistfully, "I know I can't." She then asked, "How's your toe?" Shampoo looked at the toe and shrugged.

"Sorry about that, Shampoo," Nabiki said shyly.

"Shampoo get BABY for that."

The kindergartner wasn't going to take that. "Oh yeah? You 'n' what army?"

"**WATER FIGHT!**" Kasumi declared and the war was on.

# # # # #

Below the dark canal waters, the subject of Cologne's research sighed. It was so close but the truly strong beings it sensed and wanted were eluding it. Perhaps, it should go up to Izumo, or maybe over to the Tomoeda City. It sensed powerful energies there.

End of Chapter 12

Concluded in **Chapter 13 - Unexpected Deliveries**

"Shoujo Fiction™ and the Shoujo Fiction™ logo are a Trademark of Douglas Helm and Will Wolfshohl. Copyrighted ©2002-2003, All Rights Reserved.


	13. Chapter 13 Unexpected Delivery & Epilog

**Just a Little Time**  
By Douglas Helm and _"Tuxedo"_ Will Wolfshohl  
Continuing a Ranma ½ story kernel by Dark Oni

Those characters that are original and the story "_Just a Little Time_" are copyrighted ©2003-2004 ShoujoFiction dot com domain by Douglas Helm and Will Wolfshohl. Original kernel copyrighted ©1998 by Dark Oni.

This story and dozens of our other stories reside at **ShoujoFiction dot com** . Comments are welcomed.

**Chapter 13 - Unexpected Delivery**

**R**anma's arrival on the scene broke up the battle in the furo although he became thoroughly soaked in the process. The three little girls needed a moment or two to realize who had entered the room. Once they did, each had a very different reaction. Shampoo, the oldest, squeaked in embarrassment and tried to hide under the water. It was hardly the behavior of an Amazon warrior. Kasumi, unsure if she was in trouble or not, decided to sit in the furo until she could get a reading on the situation one way or the other. And last but not least, Nabiki clambered out of the tub and hugged Ranma's leg while looking up at him with her cutest smile.

"All right, you three. Who started it?" Ranma asked, not sounding the least bit happy. The water level in the furo was noticeably lower. The purple-haired Amazon girl promptly pointed at Nabiki. Nabiki strangely did not reciprocate. Instead, she pointed at her big sister.

Caught off-guard, Kasumi rapidly considered her options. 'If I say Shampoo did, then we'll likely all get in trouble.' She dismissed that option. 'If I say I did it... But I didn't...' she whined to herself, 'It ain't fair. It really was Nabiki. Shampoo ain't fibbing.' After all, her sister had reacted badly at Shampoo for only pointing out an obvious fact - that Nabiki was still a baby. She stated firmly, "Nabiki started it."

"**DID NOT!**" the kindergartener howled in protest but apparently, Ranma was willing to side with the majority. The teenaged youth got a towel off the counter and commanded, "Come on, Nabiki, time for bed."

"I didn't do nothin'!" the five year old protested. The pigtailed teen caught Nabiki with his left hand and gave her bottom a firm smack with his right. "Hey! That hurt ya know!" Nabiki shouted while glaring defiantly up at Ranma.

"I ain't gonna say it again, Nabiki. You're goin' right to bed." The youngster again pronounced her innocence as Ranma wrapped her in a bath towel and then carried her from the room.

"Ranma mean to Nabsy," Shampoo observed with a frown. 'Not fair. She's just a baby.'

"Hey wait a minute... You said Nabiki started it."

"Nabiki only having fun. It 'Sumi who yell..."

"I know!" Kasumi interrupted, "But I thought you loved Ranma."

"Shampoo like Ranma. Will make good husband but Nabiki just playing." The former Amazon warrior was apparently taking Ranma's actions personally.

"Don't ya like Nabiki?"

"Nabiki okay... Be good little sister one day." A huge improvement over the arrogant teen she knew. "Shampoo still think Nabiki is baby," Shampoo admitted. "But Nabiki girl, Ranma man. Great-Grandmother say, '_Man to always look after woman._' Yes?"

At that moment, Ranma stuck his head into the room, "If you two wanna story before bed, you'd better hustle up."

"Gee, is it bedtime already, Ranma?" Kasumi wondered aloud. They hadn't been in the furo that long, had they?

"Nah, it's only 6:30," he reassured them. "But others might want to use the furo."

"We'll fill it up," Kasumi volunteered. She got out when Ranma left. "I'm glad our bedtime is eight, Shampoo. I'd hate to go to bed at seven like Nabsy." Her companion nodded her agreement.

# # # # #

Kasumi Tendo ate some of her lunch from the bento Akane had prepared that morning before glancing over at Shampoo. They were confined in their classroom that day due to the inclement weather. The little pigtailed brunette was happy to see that her new friends liked Shampoo genuinely. That made things a lot easier. Still, it was apparent that some of the other children thought she was scary but given the Chinese exchange student's typical temper, it was understandable.

The eight year old had been a little surprised that Shampoo had happily put on the elementary school uniform Akane laid out for her that morning. Unbeknownst to the middle Tendo daughter, Shampoo felt that the uniform did an excellent job of concealing all the assets that she was now lacking. Another fact they discovered was that even though Shampoo was nine, they were both in the same Grade 3 class.

The young Amazon for her part had planned on telling Ranma off for his treatment of her friend's baby sister the night before but somehow, she couldn't ratchet up the courage to do so. Contrary to what most people believed, Shampoo did not find school boring. Quite the opposite, some of the subjects were hard but she didn't feel any restlessness in this form as she had in her teenage one. The gap in her Japanese language and other academic skills was not so great.

Several classrooms away in the kindergarten area, Nabiki Tendo was informing her friends of the latest developments. Yuriko for her part remained quiet. She just couldn't picture being big; it scared her in a way. Yuriko really didn't want to grow up to be anything like her bratty big sister. On the other hand, being big would mean she could get some revenge.

Maki though was ecstatic and spent a good five minutes dancing about with glee, singing at the top of her lungs, "I'm gonna be big!" The youngster proclaimed she was for going out right then and there to hunt the monster down.

"Are you nuts?" Nabiki squeaked. "I'm staying put like Teacher said!"

"Don'tcha wanna be big?" Maki demanded in a whisper.

"I don't wanna be in trouble!" Nabiki retorted. "Ranma will get it." 'Then we can stay like this.' What little she remembered of the dream of her big self, she was a naughty girl especially towards Ranma and Akane. Maki looked stubborn but caved in as her friend Yuriko hugged her and burst into tears.

# # # # #

Ranma Saotome yawned and stretched before rising from his desk. "I'm glad that's over with, Akane," he grumbled as he and Akane left the classroom for the day. "Man oh man, I hate school!"

"You'll need it to be a great martial artist, Ranma-honey."

"Ain't never heard of no Martial Arts Geography."

Akane rolled her eyes but grinned. "Come on, geography is important."

"How?" Ranma demanded, almost missing Akane's exasperated tone.

"Well, we'll have to use geography to found the best place for the new dojo." 'And a home for our kids,' she added silently.

"What about our dads?"

"That..." Akane paused as they exited the main school Furinkan High School building glancing about before saying in a softer tone, "Would not be my first choice, Ranma. I mean..." She giggled. "It'd be a little hard to make love with Father around." There was a crash and upon turning around, the eldest Tendo daughter discovered her fiancé had preformed a perfect face plant into the cement. "Honestly!"

Ranma slowly picked himself up, brushed off his clothes, and gave Akane a serious look. "Um Akane... I need to drop by the Cat Café for a bit. Me and Cologne are working on a new technique. I wanna see if she's ready."

"So I suppose you'll be late for supper?" She'd have to get used to that being the future wife of a top martial artist.

"I'll try not to." His face went scarlet as Akane kissed him.

# # # # #

Ranma was mildly surprised to see Cologne waiting for him. "Knew I was coming, huh Old Ghoul?" he inquired as he approached the main entrance of the Cat Café.

The ancient Amazon grinned. "No, boy. I was just getting some air. Some of those tomes are rather dusty." She then turned serious. "Ranma, we have a problem." When the teen gave her a quizzical look, she continued, "You're going to have to fight this thing blind-folded."

"Why?"

"Well if the texts are true, this thing has a cat's head." The teenager shuddered. "Exactly... I don't want you going into the Neko-ken while you're fighting this thing. Too much is at stake."

"So you know what it is then?"

"Come inside," she indicated and led the way. Ranma followed. He was puzzled when the old woman opened a door and led him down a flight of old stone steps. Moments later, his jaw dropped in surprise as he took in what was possibly the largest dojo he'd ever seen.

"Do you like it, Son-in-law?"

"Where'd you get this?"

"Well, after the phoenix pill went away, I didn't need that large bath. The water bills were outrageous!"

"So you turned it into a dojo?"

"Well, it kept Mousse busy for awhile and besides, Shampoo will need a dowry," Cologne offered. She led him to the center of the huge room. "To answer your question, Ranma, yes, I know what it is. The tomes gave me enough clues so I went and poked about a bit."

"So you saw it, Cologne," Ranma stated. The old woman nodded. "So I have to be blindfolded?"

"I would prefer to cure you of your cat phobia but that would take too long." He sighed internally, which caused her to grin nastily. "So," Cologne said firmly, "We'll begin. Mousse and I will attack you. Once we get this bit out of the way, it'll be onto the hard stuff."

"The hard stuff?" Ranma asked, not liking it a bit.

"Yes, you know how to fight. The first part will only be an extension of what you know. The next part will be new and that will be very challenging." Ranma sighed, not looking forward to what was coming and vaguely wondering if this reality wasn't so bad.

# # # # #

At first, Akane was only mildly annoyed that Ranma did not come home. Her annoyance grew though as first one and then another hour slipped by. She really didn't start to worry until Kasumi and Shampoo had gone to bed. Worry turned to anger at her fiancé for making her worry. She tried to tell herself that she was being silly. Ranma was nearly a grown man and he was more than capable of looking after himself in any situation.

Anger sputtered as weariness overtook her allowing fear to come into play. The eldest Tendo daughter tried to stay awake but eventually gave in to fatigue and went to bed, falling into a sleep that brought a strange dream.

The dream was of Ranma, the girl form of Ranma to be precise. That Ranma though was neither young nor cute, but rather a busty teenage bombshell. Akane felt unease at this. Things began to turn weird when Kuno entered the scene and proclaimed his love for both of them. She produced a large mallet and was about to pound Kuno on the head with it when her alarm clock rang.

A short time later, Akane moved along the hallway, dressed if not yet prepared for the day. She became distressed after she discovered that Ranma's bed had not been slept in. 'I wonder, did Ranma spend all night at the Cat Café?' Deciding to phone the restaurant first before raising the alarm with her father, she made her way quietly to the stairs.

It was only then that she saw Ranma sprawled on the floor by the front door, his shoes still on, and he was snoring. As she moved down the stairs, her initial panic melted away into puzzlement.

"Ranma?" Akane called, shaking her fiancé. "Ranma-honey, wake up." The snoring stopped and then his left eye slid open the slightest bit. "What are you doing down here?" His response was incoherent. "Honestly, did you stay out all night?"

"No, I was training," he replied slowly while trying to stretch. "Oh!" he moaned as a kink developed in his back. "I just couldn't pull myself up the stairs." By the time he had dragged himself home from Cologne's underground dojo, he hadn't even had enough strength to take his shoes off. 'The Old Ghoul's really serious about this.' That worried Ranma. Cologne was always relatively calm and collected. 'She knows something more... but what?' He couldn't think; he didn't want to think.

"You sit up, Ranma-honey," Akane suggested. "I'll go make sure the furo is still warm. You can soak in it before breakfast."

"Thanks Akane," Ranma mumbled and set about getting up in the least painful way.

# # # # #

Nabiki, already wearing her kindergarten uniform, sat at the breakfast table and sulked. Her "_boyfriend_" was not paying her the slightest bit of attention. He was instead talking with his own and her father about some new martial arts technique. Kasumi and Shampoo were listening as well. She kept shooting dirty looks at Ranma while she ate.

"Fighting without vision, you say," Genma exclaimed, "That would be an advantage, especially against Kodachi or another opponent who uses substances that can get into the eyes."

"And on dark nights too, Saotome," Soun threw in.

"I think it's dumb!" Nabiki put in.

"Eat up, Nabiki," Akane interjected. She was wearing an apron over her high school uniform. "It's almost time for school."

"Yeah," Shampoo chimed in, "Nabiki too little to know it good style."

"Don't be a baby," Kasumi chimed in.

Sniffing loudly, Nabiki stood up and declared, "I'm going to school!" Making a gesture as if to flip long hair over one shoulder, the kindergartner stomped out of the room.

"Kasumi..."

"I know, Daddy. Sorry," Kasumi answered. Sighing, she got up, and left the room trailing her sister.

"Well Ranma-honey," Akane announced, "We should get ready for school too."

# # # # #

Cologne glowered at the three children. "WE don't have time to play," she told Ranma. He and the three girls had arrived at the Cat Café shortly after supper that day.

Akane had been happy that he had come for supper before going off for this special training. However, she had an ace up her sleeve this time. "I couldn't leave the house without them, Cologne." His fiancée insisted it would be good for them to watch him train.

"They can watch IF they remain quiet," Cologne agreed. "Are you ready?" Ranma nodded. "All right, first center yourself, and relax. For the moment, you are safe. No combat yet." He tried to follow the elder's instructions but it was easier said than done, namely because he didn't trust her.

"Ready?"

"Yes." Ranma's mind noted that Nabiki had shifted restlessly. Kasumi and Shampoo were sitting cross-legged on the mat watching with anticipation, however.

"You remember we discussed the difference between Chi and Ki?" He nodded. "What I want you to do, Ranma, is put a ball of Chi, a SMALL ball of Chi, right there." She jabbed a finger to a spot about a foot out from Ranma's stomach.

"How?" Ranma asked, trying to puzzle out how he was supposed to do what she wanted.

"You've used some Ki attacks before, boy," Cologne explained, "Those were external. You want to move a tiny portion of your own spirit, your own being, outside."

The pigtailed youth frowned slightly. He raised his hands cupping them to outline a sphere around the point Cologne had pointed to. He imagined not his Ki, not his life, but his very being flowing out of him forming a perfect ball. Time seemed to creep by as Ranma concentrated and then after several minutes, something happened. It was a strange feeling at the tips of his fingers.

He wasn't sure at first anything was happening, and then watched with stunned amazement as something akin to liquid sunlight slipped from his fingertips in small bluish-white rivulets. They ran together, forming a small shimmering sphere.

The martial artist glanced towards the old Amazon to see if he was doing it right and was more than a little unsettled to see pure amazement on the old woman's face. "What, what does it feel like?" Cologne asked, her voice soft but still sounding harsh after the silence.

He considered this before saying, "Like I jumped up into the air and I was never gonna touch back down again."

Silence fell again. It did not last long though as Nabiki spoke up after perhaps thirty seconds. "This is so boring!" she whined. "Can't we go home?" Startled, Ranma turned and as he did so, the ball of Chi vanished. He felt somewhat disappointed as the strands of his life ebbed back into his body.

# # # # #

"Hang on... I'll be back in a few minutes, Cologne," Ranma told the old woman as they herded the three children toward the front door of the restaurant. "Just as soon as I get these guys home."

"We can go alone, Great-Grandmother," Shampoo whined, "We not babies."

"Yeah!" Kasumi agreed, "I'll look after them."

"Shampoo look after YOUNGER girls." The nine year old remarked. The little pigtailed brunette stuck her tongue out as her new friend.

"I want Ranma to..." Nabiki began but she was cut short as Kasumi poked her rather hard. "Ow!" She rubbed her arm and glared angrily at her big sister.

"Come on, Ranma. You're busy," Kasumi pleaded, "We'll go right home. We promise." She looked to her friend and was happy to see Shampoo nodding her head. It didn't take much more prodding for Ranma to concede and let them walk to the Tendo Dojo unaccompanied.

So, the young trio set off down the sidewalk in slightly different moods. Kasumi was annoyed with her little sister for getting them kicked out. Shampoo though was more than happy to be headed back to the Tendo house and away from the restaurant and its many chores. "Training was boring," Shampoo stated.

"Yeah," Nabiki agreed. The middle Tendo daughter scowled. As they turned the corner, the five year old let out a squeal of delight and ran ahead down the sidewalk.

Kasumi and Shampoo were baffled at first and then Kasumi declared, "Oh, it's Ukyo." She was a little worried that the toddler was out and apparently alone. Hurrying forward, she observed that Ukyo had a small pig she recognized as Akane's pet in her arms. 'P-chan?'

"Ukyo?" Shampoo questioned as she studied the youngster who was looking more than a little worried.

"Who's your friend?" Kasumi asked the toddler.

"Ryouga go piggy," Ukyo announced with a pout. She had been promised an ice cream and he wasn't going to get to weasel out of it if she had anything to say about it.

'Ryouga? No, it can't be...' "Ryouga has a Jusenkyo curse?" Kasumi blurted out in shock. Both Nabiki and Shampoo nodded yes. "How did you know?"

"Well duh!" the kindergartener remarked before adding to her little friend, "Akane can change him back, Ukyo."

"No."

"What about Doctor Tofu?" Kasumi suggested, "We ain't far from his place."

"Kasumi promise go straight home, yes?" Shampoo remarked.

"It's not far and we can't leave poor Ukyo like this."

"Let's go to ol' Doc Tofu's!" Nabiki seconded, "We can score some candy."

"'Kay," Ukyo agreed after a moment's thought.

"Well, let's hurry," Shampoo urged, "It getting late."

# # # # #

Sometime later at the Cat Café, Cologne clamped down on her rising temper. She glared at her pigtailed student who was sitting on the floor looking slightly winded. "You're not paying attention, boy," she snapped at him, "If you keep putting so much CHI into the ball, you'll DIE!"

"I'm havin' trouble telling these two things apart," Ranma mumbled in a sulky tone, which reminded the old woman strongly of the new Shampoo. This martial arts technique was proving to be the most challenging one he had attempted to master yet.

"Let's try it again... When you see Happosai's battle aura, you are not seeing his CHI," Cologne explained, "You are seeing what we are, for the time being, calling KI. The Kanji characters are completely different and mean different things."

"I know!" he shot back while clambering to his feet. "I don't see what the point is, Old Ghoul. How is this stupid thing going to defeat the monster?"

Cologne sighed and stared at the ground for several seconds. "Ranma," she began, lifting her eyes up to regard him, "We're going to make it sick. Your Chi is camouflage... a sweet covering. It's hiding a bad tasting, if not poisonous core."

"Huh?"

"Think of swallowing a delicious-looking octopus ball, only to find out that Happosai had hid his old toenail collection in the middle of it." The pigtailed youth immediately turned green about the gills. She nodded. "See, Son-in-law, not pleasant, and you'd probably want to get rid of it fast, right?"

"You got that right!" Ranma agreed, still feeling queasy.

"Well, your CHI ball will look like the most mouth-watering octopus ball it's ever seen. Your hidden KI though will be very foul tasting. The thing will want to expel it, or if we're lucky, maybe its body will."

Ranma scratched the back of his head for a moment and then said, "Sounds okay I suppose but I keep confusing the two."

"I know, Ranma. You'll have to find some way to keep it straight in that pea brain of yours. I suppose it really comes down to, do you want things to stay the way they are or not?"

Ranma frowned. "Why can't you just do it?"

Cologne cackled for a moment. "I was wondering when you'd ask that, boy. I was thinking about it."

"But..."

"I have too much of the one and not of the other. I probably smell like a rotten egg to it." The teenager grinned at that, which prompted the old woman to whack him over the head with her staff.

"Whatcha do that for, Ghoul? I didn't say nothin'."

"You were going to," the Amazon countered.

"So what do you think I should do?"

"Well... think about what it feels like to have Hinako drain you, Ranma. She's not taking your life spirit; you aren't shrinking. Your little girl half knows what that feels like."

"Yeah," he replied and suppressed a shiver.

"Hinako is taking your battle aura. Your battle energy."

It took Ranma some time to sort through the feelings he held in his memories. It helped though that his smaller cursed self placed the feelings of the monster as fear whereas he thought of being drained by Hinako as anger. Both negative but distinctly different.

"I think I got it," Ranma declared and resumed his combat stance, "Just one question."

"What?"

"What happens when I do get this thing filled?"

"Frankly, Ranma, I have no idea," the old woman admitted. "Now BEGIN!"

# # # # #

It was nearly midnight by the time that Ranma got home from the latest training session. He found Akane asleep in an overstuffed chair in the living room, her head resting on her folded arms. He smiled slightly, and shook her awake.

She blinked, yawned, and then gave Ranma a soft smile. The elder Tendo daughter reached upwards and pulled him down for a kiss. Since he was going to battle the monster in the morning, he permitted himself to return the kiss, although a part of him thought it was weird. "Did the kids get home okay, Akane?" he asked after they pulled apart.

"Yes, with Ryouga's help," Akane answered, then elaborated, "It appears that they took a slight detour today. Ukyo was wandering around with Ryouga in pig form. So the girls decided to take him over to Doctor Tofu's." He frowned. "Apparently, Ukyo didn't want to come over here."

"Funny."

"Yes, well sometimes four year olds are like that, Ranma-honey." Akane pushed herself up. "By the way, Kasumi wanted to know when Doctor Tofu was getting married." She giggled.

"Huh?"

"Well, it looks like they saw him kissing Kodachi and..." Both teens shuddered at that thought.

"Poor guy," Ranma commented through a yawn. "Well I'm off to bed."

"Me too," Akane seconded and followed her fiancé from the room.

# # # # #

Early the next morning, Ranma unconsciously cracked his knuckles as he stared at the canal a few yards away. The day of reckoning had arrived. To his left was Shampoo, to his right Kasumi. Dawn was just breaking. The two girls still looked sleepy and nervous although they were trying to conceal it. He had pulled them from their warm beds thirty minutes ago. Thankfully, Nabiki hadn't shown signs of wanting to come. Instead, the kindergartner had wandered off to snuggle in bed with Akane.

The teenager turned his attention to the old woman. She was carefully outlining a circle in the dirt with her staff. Its interior held another design. One which he was not familiar with. She had only said it would prevent the creature from going back into the canal.

"Nervous?" Kasumi asked him.

"Nah," Ranma said kneeling down to look at eye level, "I'm looking forward to some payback."

"Oh..."

"You can go home if ya want, girls." The eight year old gave him a dirty look. He would have insisted they leave had not Cologne insisted they be there.

"Ranma, no talk stupid," Shampoo commented, "Kasumi and Shampoo help you."

"I still don't like it," Ranma commented.

"Well, Son-in-law," the elder explained, "They are good enough to provide a distraction if necessary. Also, they have such low Chi levels that the creature will likely ignore them." The younger Amazon looked as if she wanted to say something scathing. "Don't worry, Ranma. I will ensure they're not harmed."

"Maybe I shouldn't wear the blindfold..."

"And enter into the Neko-ken? You'd shred it to bits and we'd all be stuck in this reality permanently."

"That not so bad," Shampoo interjected.

"You don't know what you're saying, child!" Cologne scolded. From what she had gleaned from Ranma and the others, Shampoo had a much better chance to capture Ranma's heart in the true reality.

"Shamp... I like it like this." 'Much more fun.'

"No, Shampoo," Ranma disagreed while shaking his head. It was not honorable to steal the others' lives, even if Akane was nicer here. "Things need to change. Okay, are you guys ready?"

"Yes!" Kasumi replied, nervously shifting from foot to foot. Shampoo nodded.

"Here," the old Amazon remarked as she held out a set of wristguards. They were a sapphire blue and seemed to glow with an internal energy.

He took them and inspected them cautiously. "What are they?"

Cologne gave the youth a long look. "These will magnify your Ki, perhaps a thousand-fold." The pigtailed martial artist stared at her.

"What's the catch then, Old Ghoul?" he finally questioned.

She smiled at him ignoring the sputtering noises coming from her great-granddaughter and the longing stares Kasumi was giving the treasure.

"The catch is, Son-in-law, that these may only be used once. There was once three pair. Two are gone and the wisdom to craft more has been lost over the centuries." She gave him a stern look. "This is a one shot chance, Ranma."

"Will it do anything funny to me?"

The old woman frowned. "I can only guess. Your Ki will be severely drained. You'll likely sleep for several days. Other than that... I don't know."

"Whatcha mean you don't know?"

"Ranma," Kasumi chimed in, "Can we do this? Let's hurry up. I'm getting' cold." The teenager regarded her and then at the bracelets in his hands.

"All right," Ranma announced, "Let's roll."

# # # # #

Despite Cologne's intense training regiment, Ranma felt uneasy. The elder's frankness bothered him. Pushing those thoughts aside, he centered himself, clearing his mind. And then as in practice, he pulled down his blindfold and raised his hands forming the outline of a sphere.

Into the center of this "_sphere_", he imagined his own lifeforce dripping... Gliding down his arms and running out from his fingertips. He knew it was happening because he felt that odd sensation, like flight without moving. After few moments, he held the small shimmering blue-white sphere still, allowing no more of his precious spirit to flow out.

He took a minute to orient himself. Although he could see nothing, his other senses were still keen. He could hear Kasumi's breathing; he could sense Shampoo shifting side to side with nervous anticipation. He felt Cologne at his back, cool and calm as ever. He heard the sounds of the city and the running water of the canal.

"Ready," he declared as calmly as he could. He reached inside his own being bringing forth his battle aura, his Ki. The effect was not what he expected. Suddenly, every nerve surged to life as the wristguards amplified his growing power. Carefully he started feeding his battle aura into the sphere. He knew from practice that alone, he could get the glowing ball of his two energies to something greater than a small beachball. He could feel it growing now, surpassing that size, becoming larger more intense, changing as the two energies assembled.

Shampoo gasped as the normally calm water in the canal suddenly seemed to boil, white foam covering its surface. Then with an earthshaking roar, the thing that had attacked her lifted high into the air. The young Amazon quickly glanced at Kasumi who was looking grimly determined.

All parties stared at the creature. At night, it was ominous looking enough; by day, it was even more so. Hundreds of glowing tentacles writhed in apparent anticipation. Its head was a massive, cat-like thing, its eyes glowing green with hunger. It had matted gray fur.

Much to her surprise, Shampoo felt a tremendous urge to run away. To possibly hide with little Nabiki who was likely still asleep in her bed at this hour. 'I'm an Amazon warrior,' she repeated to herself. Although, 'But I'm just a kid,' crept into her thoughts as well.

"**Stay there!**" her great-grandmother's voice thundered, making Shampoo jump. She looked about; Kasumi had already rushed forward. "Remember, girls, only attack if it tries to sneak up on Ranma."

'No worry there,' the purple-haired child thought wildly as the creature heaved itself out from the water and onto the grassy meadow abutting the canal. Despite its great bulk, its energy-sapping appendages moved it along rapidly.

As it grew closer, they could see its gaping maw revealing row upon row of razor-sharp teeth. It was too much for Kasumi. She gave a squeal of terror and ran from the scene of battle. Shampoo didn't blame her friend but she couldn't leave Ranma.

"**What's happening?**" Ranma demanded, "**Kasumi?**"

"'**Sumi go 'way!**" Shampoo shouted back. The creature was producing a low rumbling sound, something like a purr. It shook the ground and made her very soul vibrate. They could sense its wanton lust directed toward Ranma's Chi.

"How far is it?" Ranma asked. 'Glad Kasumi's out of it.'

"Not far!" Cologne answered.

Suddenly the creature reared high into the air and flung several tentacles forward toward Ranma. Instincts took over for anything else and Shampoo rushed the creature, swinging her child-sized bonbori for affect. A tentacle engaged her in a brief exchange trying to penetrate her defense. She crushed it to the ground with an overhead swing that made her topple forward leaving her prone for a counterstrike. Fortunately, for the little girl, the creature's attention was too intent on Ranma to pay her much heed.

The teenaged martial artist could feel the creature's power, could sense the tentacles of energy inching towards him. Coming within their grasp. At the last instant, he leapt into the air pulling the prize with him. The creature roared with rage.

"What are you doing, boy?" Cologne demanded.

"Getting it ticked!" Ranma replied. Ranma landed and kicked off again as more tentacles swarmed about him. "Come on, ugly! **FREE EATS!**" Despite its large size, Ranma did not find the sphere cumbersome although he could only battle with his feet.

"Ranma, quit playing around!" shouted the Amazon elder. He was about to respond when he heard Shampoo give a cry of pain.

"HEY YOU!" he shouted, landing and preparing himself for the onslaught, "Come and get it!" To ensure that the cause of all this trouble got the picture, the pigtailed youth rushed towards his enemy. The creature shrieked in delight. It lifted most of its tentacles from the ground and plunged them into the massive, shining sphere that his quarry held. Energy surged inward as it drank the contents greedily.

Ranma was knocked backwards by the strike and let out a scream as some of his lifeforce and most of his battle aura was sucked into the creature. Falling two his knees, he vaguely wondered if it had failed.

Cologne watched the strike with both concern and curiosity. As the bubble of Chi and Ki vanished, Ranma fell to his knees. For the briefest of moments, she thought it hadn't worked. That feeling grew as Ranma started to grow younger. He appeared no more than twelve years old, his clothing becoming looser. The elder Amazon contemplated whether to invoke a contingency plan of action when a huge explosion of light and debris occurred. The creature as well as Shampoo and Ranma vanished into blinding white light. Simultaneously, the resulting force lifted Cologne off of her feet and flung her backwards.

# # # # #

"Let me up!" Yuriko squealed in a near wail. Nanami was holding her down and grinning evilly.

"Not until you say it!" her big sister taunted.

"No!" the youngster replied, "**MOMMY!**"

"Nanami, play nice with your little sister!"

"I am!" the preteen assured her mother.

That's when the windows rattled and there was a flash of light. Nanami turned her attention to the window, stared at it for a moment, and then returned to her five year old sister as the youngster's body shifted.

Much to the older girl's surprise, Yuriko's clothing ripped and burst apart at the seams. Nanami backed away as her kid sister rapidly started to grow older.

# # # # #

Maki was in the unwanted position of being spanked that morning. As the five year old stared at the ground over her mother's lap, she thought that today was just not going to be her day. Was it her fault that she couldn't juggle, or that raw eggs break when they hit the floor?

Maki's mother was about to deliver yet another swat to her daughter's already smarting backside when the thunderous boom shook the windows. Maki was startled as her arms and legs shot forwards, suddenly gaining length. As her arms and legs gained length, she toppled from her mother's lap. Her pajamas in tatters as her torso enlarged. Her waist and hips increased in size, her formerly non-existent bosom expanded.

# # # # #

Ukyo was having a bath when things started to change. Ryouga was watching her play happily with a rubber duck in the furo when suddenly her hair started to grow to remarkable length. And then, other things started to change. At the Tendo Dojo, Soun suddenly found himself holding a naked teenaged Nabiki on his lap.

# # # # #

Doctor Tofu was making a rarity of rarities - a house call - when he saw Kasumi Tendo running down the street. The little girl was crying and that worried the young physician. Moving forward, he called out to her. Almost at once, the pigtailed child ran to him and flung her arms about it.

"Kasumi, what's the matter?" he asked but before she could speak, a large explosion occurred in the distance followed by a shockwave of air and light. For a moment, the doctor had a heart-sinking feeling that someone had just exploded a bomb. His services might be required. Until he was sure, there was a scared child that needed him. He looked down and gasped. Kasumi was changing. Her proportions were filling out. Stepping back, he watched as the eight year old transformed, growing in years in as many seconds shredding her clothing along in the process.

The young doctor's mind was starting to grasp the impossibility of the situation when it registered something even more urgent: he was in close proximity to the very lovely looking, provocatively-clad, and still weeping Kasumi Tendo, age nineteen. A few moments later, her normal housedress and other clothing coalesced around her.

As was typical, Tofu's brain timed-out, his glasses fogged over, and he went into a spasm of joy and happiness that carried him, dancing, away down the street. Kasumi for her part felt more than a little annoyed at Tofu but it didn't last long. Instead, the young maiden's thoughts returned to Shampoo and the others who she had abandoned.

# # # # #

"**MOMMY!**" Nanami wailed.

"**Yuriko! Be nice to your sister!**"

"I am, Mom!" called back the seventeen year old wearing a high school uniform tightened the headlock she had on her now _younger_ sibling.

At the Tendo home, Nabiki felt her cheeks growing warm as she blushed. She glanced down just to make sure that she had her school uniform on. Giggling, the once again seventeen year old gave the surprised Soun a hug and moved to sit beside him. Maki, for her part, simply stared at her mother in mild puzzlement, her high school uniform only mildly rumpled from her fall.

Ryouga for his part did the gentlemanly thing and passed out from lack of blood. After all, that's the only proper thing to do when a naked rather wet and giggly young woman springs from the bath and hugs you.

Reality shimmered... And no one remembered anything unusual, save the former victims of the creature.

# # # # #

Shampoo somewhat dazed by the blast blinked the spots from her eyes; she felt strange. Pushing herself up, she looked down and felt herself starting to grin. That grin spread until it connected both her ears. She was wearing her red Chinese dress and it was not covering a little girl. Squealing in delight, she danced around and hugged her returned "_hoo-hoos_" with enthusiasm. After a few moments when no one joined her, she looked around. She saw that all that remained of the creature was the singed head, looking rather funny with its "_fur_" pushed in all directions, and one lone tentacle that was still twitching.

She spotted Ranma and ran over to him. He was on his hands and knees and looked ready to pass out. "Husband, did it!" the voluptuous sixteen year old Amazon cried happily and glommed onto him.

"What?" he asked vaguely.

Shampoo lifted the blindfold from Ranma and grinned at him. "You like?" She stood back, wiggled her sexy hips, and giggled. The pigtailed martial artist stared at her.

"We did it?" the sixteen year old martial artist asked weakly.

"Yes!" Shampoo giggled sweetly, "We get Great-Grandmother than go find 'Sumi and tell..." The rest of her sentence was cut short as something wrapped itself about her neck. Ranma watched in horror as Shampoo was entwined by the tentacle. The Amazon struggled, twitching and kicking.

"**Cologne!**" Ranma shouted, getting to his feet.

"Oh..." Shampoo groaned faintly and crumpled to the ground. The pigtailed youth rushed forward to try and pry the tentacle away from the girl but its grip was too strong. Eventually, the tentacle loosened. Ranma tossed it aside before collapsing to the ground, gulping in air, and trying to fight against a heavy weight of fatigue playing over him.

# # # # #

"You got the monster, right Daddy?" the five year old asked him.

"Yes, I did," Ranma confirmed, a strange look in his eyes.

"What about Shampoo?" his eldest asked. 'She was so brave.'

"Well..." Akane said, "She lived."

# # # # #

Cologne looked down at her stricken great-granddaughter. The once fine Amazon warrior and fiancée of Ranma Saotome had shrunk, grown chubby, had become even younger than before. She stooped gathering the tiny child up in her arms. "Oh Shampoo..."

"What happened?" Ranma asked nearly at the point of collapse. With great effort, he pushed himself to a sitting position. He stared down at Shampoo, the one who saved him. What stared back was not the face of a strong and beautiful fighter on the verge of adulthood, but that of a tiny infant girl, no more than a month old. "Shampoo?" he moaned before he fainted.

"No more," Cologne said sadly, her eyes downcast. "No more..." The last was only a mutter.

# # #

**Epilogue**

**T**here was a deep silence, and then the five year old asked, "So Daddy, what happened to the monster?"

"Forget about that," Ranma's eldest cut in before anyone could answer, "I wanna know what happened to Shampoo?" Much to her and her siblings' annoyance, the adults shared one of those looks that said they knew more than they were willing to tell.

"Well," her mother decided to reply, "The monster went away."

"It's not around no more?"

"Nope, just crumbled into dust," Ranma assured his daughters.

"As to Shampoo... That's another story and we've already had one." There were groans of protest from her daughters. "Minako, take your sisters up to bed." This of course produced even more groans of protests.

"Well," Soun announced, startling Ranma who had nearly forgotten he was there, "I think that's my cue to head home."

"Read me a story, Grandpa!" the second youngest girl demanded.

The old man smiled down at his young granddaughter and patted her gently on the head. "Maybe some other time, honey. Your Auntie Kasumi will be wondering where I am."

"But Dad..." Akane started to protest but Soun waved her silent.

"Akane-dear, I was here all day, ate quite well, and heard a most interesting story. Besides, I have to help Genma with something tomorrow so I should go."

Meanwhile, Minako hustled her two youngest sisters out of the room. The remaining older ones knew the grownups wanted to talk alone so they didn't make too much of a fuss. For a time, there was confusion as the various girls said goodnight and then drifted out of the living room. Soun said his final good-byes and they him leave the house, all the while humming slightly. Finally though, the room only contained Nabiki, Ranma, and Akane.

"Well," Nabiki declared, "That was interesting." Ranma gave her a sheepish grin. "I take it that the girls were looking for me to be the villain?"

"Not really, Sis," Akane answered, "Sorry..." she trailed off as Nabiki waved it off.

"No skin off my nose, Sis, and I'm pretty sure Ranma missed some choice bits."

"Oh?" her sister asked, "Like what?"

Ranma looked puzzled. "I don't think so, NABSY."

"I know you spanked me a couple of times," his sister-in-law stated. The pigtailed martial artist shook his head firmly. Akane for her part frowned slightly. Nabiki tilted her head for a moment and then grinned. "Oh yeah, that's when you and me went after the '_magic pickle_'."

"Magic pickle?" Akane asked, her eyes fixating on her husband.

"You mean you didn't tell Akane about the _Magic Pickle of Happiness_?"

"Come on, Nabiki. It was embarrassing!" Ranma mumbled out, much to his relief Akane gave him a small smile. "I can tell you later, okay Akane-dear?"

"Yes," Akane agreed, "One story is enough for one night."

Nabiki turned serious at that, "So, when are you going to tell her?"

"Tell who what?"

The former kindergartner rolled her eyes. "Tell Minako she's actually Shampoo."

"Perhaps when she's older," Akane said noncommittally.

"Maybe sooner," Ranma interjected. "She wants to go to China."

"WHAT?" both Tendo daughters screeched.

The pigtailed father held up his hands in a warning gesture. "She wants to see Mousse and meet Cologne."

"She can't go back there."

"Don't worry, Sis. You're her parents now," Nabiki remarked, "I thought she wanted your curse or something for a second. Besides, she's what now?"

"Fourteen." Ranma sighed.

"It's not that, Nabiki," Akane assured her. Clutching her fists, she explained, "Cologne originally came to Japan to kill Shampoo for violating their laws. She couldn't go through with it though. That's why she stayed here as long as she did. Even if Shampoo had grown into a woman and hadn't met the monster, she would've never been able to return to her village in China without Ranma as her husband."

"Oh..." Nabiki stared at her sister, "When did you find this out?"

"Well, remember when Kasumi was taking it pretty hard for a while?" The elder sister nodded. "She went to talk to Cologne. The old goat told her, flat out. As if poor Kasumi didn't have enough guilt about running off." Ranma looked more than a little unhappy about that. "She was only a child. You know," Akane continued, turning slightly serious, "If Ranma had come home claiming that the baby was Shampoo and I didn't see Kasumi or Nabiki acting so weird, I wouldn't have believed it myself."

"Oh come on, Akane!" Nabiki protested, "The only reason why you took it seriously is that Ranma was out cold for a week. Mousse had to drag his sorry butt home. It was me 'n' Kasumi who told you." 'You seemed so scary to us, we had to tell you.'

"Ukyo didn't help?"

"She barely remembers anything about it. Likely due to shock," Akane explained, "Although she was mad when she realized that Ryouga was passed out on the floor." Both Ranma and Nabiki grinned at that. "You know, she still thinks it was all some concoction that Kodachi whipped up. But how she can be mad at Ryouga and not Kodachi I'll never know..."

"You were a little mad too I think, Akane-dear."

"Honestly. When was I mad?" Akane demanded of her now older sister.

"Oh... I suppose when I gave Ranma a big old hug after he woke up." Akane gave her sister a mock glare. Ranma grinned.

"Yeah that was some surprise let me tell ya, scared me spitless too." Seeing both women give him puzzled looks, he continued, "See I woke up, wandered downstairs, and the next thing I know, Nabiki's hugging me so hard I can't breathe. When Kasumi started doing it too, it worried me even more. Couldn't remember nothing at first."

"It certainly opened Kasumi's eyes," Nabiki remarked. "At least, she isn't so oblivious to everything."

"I dunno," Ranma remarked, "How she could marry Kuno of all people... not to mention giving birth to two sons."

"Our nephews are handsome and polite boys, Ranma," Akane protested. "And Daddy does seem to have a calming influence on him."

"But Kuno?" Ranma protested, "The same guy who was after BOTH of us?"

"You know, I always thought you'd snag him for yourself, Nabiki," her sister remarked.

"Oh please!" The older Tendo rolled her eyes. "He just isn't my type." Her type of man would have been a "_Ranma Saotome_" with lots of money.

"So when are you going to settle down with some nice guy, Sis?" Akane continued.

"Not for me, little sister," Nabiki countered while waving the thought away, "I can do what I want, when I want. I have five lovely nieces and two handsome nephews that I can spoil rotten too so I don't need kids. When they're bad, I just send them home." She gave her sister an evil grin. "Besides, the men I would be interested in might not know how to deal with a gender-changing brother-in-law."

Ranma smirked. "First time after the monster attacked, I got splashed and the change came. I actually was kinda thrilled about it."

"Oh please, give me a break... He was SICKENING, Nabiki," Akane countered. "You'd think she got a brand new toy the way the girl half of him carried on at seeing her boobs." It was Ranma's turn to glare, although with mild affection.

"I did eat your cooking though, didn't I?"

"Well yes..."

"And I did say you were cute. Right?"

"Yes..." Akane had started to turn red, which made Nabiki narrow her eyes suspiciously.

"And I did tell Ukyo I didn't want her as a fiancée no more?"

"When did you tell her that, Ranma?" his wife asked. "I thought she'd finally just given up."

"If you don't believe me, I'm quite sure Nabsy here has a taped copy hidden somewhere." His sister-in-law for her part punched Ranma rather hard in the arm. "Hey!"

"I do not!" The middle Tendo daughter looked a little miffed now. "Honestly, don't you think I learned anything from that little trip?"

"Nabiki has a point, Ranma-honey. She did change," Akane mentioned. 'So did I.'

"Sorry," Ranma apologized, although he gave Nabiki an impish grin, "Think you can hit that hard at practice Wednesday?"

"That's one of the reasons I came over here."

"Oh?" both Saotomes asked.

"I need to cancel my Wednesday practice, Ranma."

"Why?"

"'Cause I'm flying out to Singapore on a business trip and won't be back until Friday night."

"Is Yuriko going with you?" Akane asked.

"Yes," Nabiki sounded annoyed, "Although I told her I was perfectly capable of closing this deal alone."

"You should have told her that Maki was coming," Ranma remarked.

The businesswoman smirked. "But that would be lying. Maki's off doing something with the SDF. Besides, one does not lie to one's executive assistant."

"Speaking of fibs... Nabiki, if you don't wanna take my classes no more, just tell me," her brother-in-law commented. "I won't blame ya. It's not for everybody."

"But I do want to practice, sensei."

"You've missed the last three," he said disbelievingly, a slight frown on his face, "Ya won't hurt my feelings, Nabsy."

"I'll make it up to you, sensei. I promise." Crossing her heart like she had when she was five.

"How?" the pigtailed father asked.

"I'll come with you and Minako on your next training trip." Akane snorted even before Ranma could answer. "I will!"

"I'd probably pay to see that."

"Careful, Akane, we don't have enough money for the TV, let alone something THAT expensive."

"That's the other reason I came, Sis." She reached into her purse and pulled out an envelope. "This should cover the cost of the TV repair." Ranma was about to reach for it but his wife shook her head. "Don't be stubborn, Akane. I'd like to help. I know it's not easy raising five kids."

"Thank you, Nabiki, but we don't need it," her younger sister stated.

"We don't?" Ranma asked.

"No," Akane reiterated. Standing, she walked to the darkened television, bent down, and fiddled with something behind it. A few moments later, she stood and depressed the power button. Both Nabiki and Ranma stared in fascination as the screen came to life.

"How did you do that?" Ranma asked.

"It's amazing," Akane declared, a grin tugging at the corners of her mouth, "What can happen when you plug it in." Nabiki bowed her head to the table and howled with laughter.

# # # # #

Upstairs in her room, Minako Saotome heard her aunt laughing although she couldn't overhear what was so funny. It was irksome. 'Why are they treating me like a little girl?' She was fourteen years old, not three like her baby sister! 'I'm ALMOST a grown woman for Pete's sake.' After all, she turned the head of many a boy at school with her busty figure. And she knew very well how to take care of any trouble, thanks to her father's martial arts training. She sighed a little, wishing she could be downstairs talking with the adults. She had liked hearing about Shampoo. She wanted more information. Was Shampoo still living in Japan? She would like to meet her.

"What's the matter with ya, Min?" her sister asked from her position lying on her bed across the room.

"Nothin'," Minako replied. Being the eldest daughter did not mean she got a room to herself. She shared it with her twelve year old sibling. At least, this sister was wearing a bra even if it was just a training variety. Even though she loved them dearly, her other sisters were practically babies. Then, the purple-haired teen could always stake out the guestroom but right then, she wasn't in any particular hurry. Her parents would probably agree.

Thinking of her other sisters made her smile. Her middle sister who was eight and her second youngest sister who was five shared a room together for the last year. The eight year old had been annoyed; the kindergartner thrilled when it happened. Of course, Minako knew something she doubted her other sisters were privy to at the moment. The baby of the family who was only three years old was going to be moved in with her older sisters sometime in the next few days. Exactly why this was, Minako hadn't been able to find out. When she had asked, her mother had given her a look that clearly told her it wasn't up for discussion, and to not to discuss it with them.

Getting up, Minako walked over to the window and looked out into the deepening night over the City of Nerima.

# # # # #

At the same time, somewhere in an underwater cavern, a creature was hibernating, dreaming of its future conquests.

End of "_Just a Little Time_"

**Authors' Afterwords:** (by "_Tuxedo_" Will):

Well, another story is complete after more than a year of effort. This was our first attempt to enter the world of Ranma ½ and it is likely not to be our last. It was great to write about a group of different characters that we have come to love. As usual, we focused on relationships and character development over raw action. Ranma ½ was always more than the fantastic martial arts techniques IMHO.

"_Just A Little Time_" was a kernel written by Dark Oni several years ago. He only wrote one chapter and never had the time nor desire to continue it. I enjoyed his chapter (much of which was eventually folded into Chapter 1 of our story), and I always wanted it completed. I thought of several possible directions it could go as well as scenes I hoped he would include. I waited and waited and nothing happened. I thought it would be a good story for Doug and me to do given our writing style so I ran it by Doug. He had also read it and wanted to see more. Therefore, I contacted Dark Oni to propose letting us complete his story and the rest as they say is history. We hope you enjoyed the results.

The future is still bright for us. We have some Sailor Moon, our original World of Velaria, and maybe some other new series we want to write about. Our biggest problem is the lack of free time. We'll keep plugging away to make sure that **Shoujo Fiction** stays vibrant.

I'd like to thank Doug Helm for co-authoring once again with me. We complement each other well and these stories could not exist without his tireless effort. We'd like to thank Dark Oni for giving us permission to complete his story and for being there as a betareader throughout. Now maybe we can get him to complete some of his other stories. And we'd like to thank you the readers, especially those who have taken the time to write us to comment on our scribblings.

Will Wolfshohl and Doug Helm  
April 2004

"Shoujo Fiction™ and the Shoujo Fiction™ logo are a Trademark of Douglas Helm and Will Wolfshohl. Copyrighted ©2002-2003, All Rights Reserved.


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